Carbon flux and its biotic and abiotic drivers in a Burgundy vineyard

Abstract

Global warming profoundly affects terrestrial ecosystems, through e.g., increased severity and duration of heatwave–drought compound events. Viticultural ecosystems are not spared, prompting the wine sector to both adapt to climate change and contribute to its mitigation. In the latter context, vineyards can play a key role by sequestering carbon through photosynthesis and soil organic matter storage. Therefore, understanding carbon flux dynamics at the vineyard scale is essential. The eddy-covariance (EC) method allows direct and continuous measurements of CO₂ exchanges between the atmosphere and ecosystems, providing estimates of the Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE), defined as the balance between photosynthetic carbon uptake (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Reco). Despite the growing importance of such data, vineyards remain underrepresented in global flux networks, particularly in temperate regions. To address this gap, an EC flux tower was installed in June 2024 in a one-hectare Pinot Noir vineyard plot in Rully (Burgundy, France) to measure fluxes at 10 Hz. The site is fully instrumented to monitor both biotic and abiotic drivers, including radiation, air temperature, vapor pressure deficit and canopy development tracked through monthly leaf area index measurements and daily vegetation indices (Gcc and NDVI). The data validation protocol confirmed that more than 70% of the measured flux originated within the plot, with an energy balance closure ratio of 0.63, consistent with standard EC performance. Preliminary results show that the vineyard acts as a carbon sink from spring to autumn, with carbon uptake strongly correlated with solar radiation and canopy development. This first EC-based assessment in Burgundy provides key insights into vineyard carbon balance under temperate conditions and supports regional efforts toward carbon neutrality by 2035.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the VITIFLUX project (2025-2028), which is co-funded by the Comité Bourgogne (Bureau Interprofessionel des Vins de Bourgogne – BIVB) and the Comité Champagnes (Comité Interprofessionel des Vins de Champagne – CIVC). J.C would like to thanks the French National Research Agency (ANR-22-CPJ2-0026-01) for their funding. The authors would also like to thank Vinipôle Sud Bourgogne and its staff (Florian Vachet, Etienne Rayer) for their contribution to installing the flux tower and acquiring phenological data.