The Impact of Mixed-use Development, Small Businesses, and Walkability on Carbon Emissions in Cool Climate Cities

United States (US) cities of cool climate zone such as Chicago and Boston are witnessing a reduction in carbon emissions potentially due to focusing on public transportation, and alternative energy resources. It's difficult to validate or deny optimal practices and regulations due to a lack of reliable data on carbon emissions and urban comparative studies amongst metropolitan areas. Therefore, we have examined at the relationship between land use, walkability, socioeconomics variables and carbon dioxide emissions at the zip code level. The current study compares the carbon footprints of four metro regions in cool climatic zone 5 with a model of all US zip code, to generate a benchmarking predictive model for climate change across all US zip codes. Our research shows that increasing number of businesses within walkable distance in cool climate reduces CO2 emissions. This signifies that enhancing walkability in cities and remodeling of retail, art, entertainment, and recreation facilities in accordance with urban sustainability policies can greatly cut down CO2 emissions.

Natural and Artificial Oxidation of Grape Seed Phenolics are Influenced by Extractability and Galloylation Pattern

In cool-climate viticulture, the short growing season can influence grape seed maturation by reducing the apparent oxidation of flavan-3-ols and associated increase in seed browning. A reduction in seed maturation increases the potential extraction of flavan-3-ols into wine during maceration operations, heightening bitterness. Here, we carried out a 2x2 factorial experiment to test the ability of freezing and heating treatments to artificially “ripen” seeds (decrease flavan-3-ols, improve browning) of (Vitis vinifera L.) Pinot noir and Cabernet Sauvignon over a 24-hour incubation period. Only freezing significantly increased seed browning in both cultivars. Subsequent correlations with seed flavan-3-ols concentrations suggest that freezing enhanced the oxidation of these compounds. Interestingly, natural ripening and freezing reduced galloylated flavan-3-ols to a greater extent than non-galloylated ones. This study provides new information regarding the susceptibility of flavan-3-ols to freezing and heating, and also suggests that freezing can artificially ripen the seeds of under-ripe red vinifera grapes.

Rubber tapping machine performance and procedure

Rubber tapping is a rubber latex extraction process which has to be done early morning in order to satisfy cool climate for latex flow. It is a tedious process which takes great work force and man-hour it has to be done with great accuracy. It is a great necessity for an automated or mechanized tapping to cope with the market requirement. So it is required to design a Rubber tapping machine which should be affordable to small planters.

A radiocarbon chronology of Holocene climate change and sea-level rise at the Delmarva Peninsula, US Mid-Atlantic Coast

Radiocarbon dates from 176 sites along the Delmarva Peninsula record the timing of deposition and sea-level rise, and non-marine wetland deposition. The dates provide confirmation of the boundaries of the Holocene subepochs (e.g. “early-middle-late” of Walker et al.) in the mid-Atlantic of eastern North America. These data record initial sea-level rise in the early Holocene, followed by a high rate of rise at the transition to the middle Holocene at 8.2 ka, and a leveling off and decrease in the late-Holocene. The dates, coupled to local and regional climate (pollen) records and fluvial activity, allow regional subdivision of the Holocene into six depositional and climate phases. Phase A (>10 ka) is the end of periglacial activity and transition of cold/cool climate to a warmer early Holocene. Phase B (10.2–8.2 ka) records rise of sea level in the region, a transition to Pinus-dominated forest, and decreased non-marine deposition on the uplands. Phase C (8.2–5.6 ka) shows rapid rates of sea-level rise, expansion of estuaries, and a decrease in non-marine deposition with cool and dry climate. Phase D (5.6–4.2 ka) is a time of high rates of sea-level rise, expanding estuaries, and dry and cool climate; the Atlantic shoreline transgressed rapidly and there was little to no deposition on the uplands. Phase E (4.2–1.1 ka) is a time of lowering sea-level rise rates, Atlantic shorelines nearing their present position, and marine shoal deposition; widespread non-marine deposition resumed with a wetter and warmer climate. Phase F (1.1 ka-present) incorporates the Medieval Climate Anomaly and European settlement on the Delmarva Peninsula. Chronology of depositional phases and coastal changes related to sea-level rise is useful for archeological studies of human occupation in relation to climate change in eastern North America, and provides an important dataset for future regional and global sea-level reconstructions.

Biodiversity in a Cool-Climate Vineyard: A Case Study from Quebec

In Quebec (Canada), viticulture has experienced steady growth in the last 35 years in terms of surfaces cultivated and value, although it is practiced in climatic conditions at the edge of what is considered a cool-climate area. This case study documents biodiversity studies conducted at the l’Orpailleur vineyard (Dunham, QC, Canada) from 1997 to 2021. In a first phase starting in 1997, the biodiversity of insecticide-free and insecticide-treated plots was determined for the taxa Scarabaeidae, Curculionidae, Chrysomelidae, Cicadellidae, Acari and Aranae. This step provided a baseline allowing to identify key arthropods. In a second phase starting in 2004, entomological issues were addressed on an ad hoc basis. In 2014, a third phase began with a perspective of sustainability and management of plant diversity in the vineyard to conserve natural enemies. Because of increased Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica-Scarabaeidae) populations and threats to vineyards, a biocontrol program based on the parasitoid Istocheta aldrichi (Tachinidae) was initiated. The unusually fast development of grapevines during the growing season, selection of flowering species, as well as selected arthropods associated with these flowering species, will be illustrated. Periodic update of protection programs will be required to address future challenges associated with climate change scenarios and world trade.

A Characterization of a Cool Climate Organic Vineyard’s Microbiome

The microbiome, an influential factor affecting plant health and growth, is attracting increasing interest with respect to wine grape production. The purpose of this study was to characterize the microbiome (fungi and bacteria) of the soil, cover crop roots and grape (Vitis spp.) roots across rootstock and depth in a cool climate, organic vineyard. The cover crop consisted of a fescue (Festuca sp.) grass, while grape roots were sampled from ‘New York Muscat,’ a cool climate hybrid, across three root types (ungrafted, ‘3309C’ and ‘Riparia Gloire’) at three root depths (0–15, 15–30 and 30–50 cm). The grape root microbiome was more specialized, with fewer observed amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), for both bacteria (16S) and fungi (ITS) than found in the cover crop and the surrounding soil. Grape roots were dominated by bacterial genera Pseudomonas , Niastella and Rhizobium; most prominent fungal genera were Plectosphaerella, Trichosporon and Ilyonectria. While no correlations were found between alpha diversity metrics and soil parameters, Pseudaleuria RA was correlated with Mn, Fe and Na levels. Soil depth explained a small portion of bacterial, but not fungal, variance and taxonomic composition. Rootstock type explained a portion of both bacterial and fungal variance and taxonomic composition, substantiating the role of host plant genetics in the development of the grape root microbiome. This is the first characterization of the grape root microbiome in a cool climate Canadian vineyard.

Vitis vinifera Production in Michigan: Factors and Trends Driving Cultivation Patterns

Vinifera cultivation is a thriving and growing industry across the state of Michigan (MI), United States. Extensive time, funds, and effort have been applied by the industry to promote growth and the onset of new producers. Specifically, Vitis vinifera wine grapes, which have been cultivated in MI since the 1970s, have seen a rapid expansion and investment from both first-time and legacy growers. However, historically, the climate of MI presented a challenge for cultivation because of low growing season temperatures (GSTs), short growing seasons, and excessive precipitation at the time of harvest. Over time, two key factors have led the MI wine industry to overcome the challenging climate. First, as seen in the literature, there are noted changes in climate, especially since the late 1980s, leading to more favorable conditions for cultivation. Second, MI growers traditionally focused on V. vinifera cultivation, which is susceptible to low winter temperatures, selected less vulnerable regions within the state while also focusing on vine protection techniques. Given the rapid growth of the wine industry across MI, there is a need to understand suitability and its drivers to help all growers make economically impactful decisions on production and expansion of wine grapes. This article looked to study the suitability of MI vinifera across the state in two ways. Initially, through an extensive literature review, the key drivers and commonly noted trends guiding vinifera production were chronicled. Second, through a trend analysis of the key drivers of suitability, the study investigated how such variables are changing significantly over space and time. The results of this study expand the knowledge of cool climate agriculture production and suitability for cultivation and highlight the complexity of relating suitability drivers for non-cool climate to cool climate vinifera cultivation.