Net Ecosystem Annual Budget of Carbon Dioxide in a Mediterranean Vineyard

The current study determined the net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) from a young vineyard of the” Merlot” variety, using the micrometeorological method of “Eddy Covariance”. The CO2 footprint of the produce was determined using the above method for the annual net exchange of CO2 from the plantation, as well as the equivalent CO2 emissions for the viticulture processes. According to the determination of the plantation’s CO2 assimilation, the annual CO2 Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) for 2023 was -6,356 kg CO2 per hectare. The annual consumption of 4,287 equivalent kg CO2 per hectare by the farming methods was also estimated. After deducting this annual 4,287 kg of CO2 per hectare from the NEE, the annual vine plantation’s net CO2 sink is −2,069 kg per hectare. This also translates to a Carbon Footprint (CF) of -0.213 kg of CO2 per produced kg of “Merlot” grapes, for the year 2023. Therefore, it is clear that in this case the young vineyard of “Merlot” in northeastern Greece acts as a net CO2 sink for the season 2023. These results may introduce the incentive to study further, in the country, other varieties of grape and under different climatic conditions, soil composition and irrigation

Keywords: CO2 Footprint, Net Ecosystem Exchange, Eddy Covariance, Vineyard Plantation, CO2 Fluxes.