Global Paleoclimate Proxy Collection for the Common Era
by Nathan Steiger / Columbia University
Available on 1 platform
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Description
A global collection of 2,978 paleoclimate proxy time series, collated with a focus on the past 2000 years. The dataset includes tree ring chronologies, coral and sclerosponge records, ice core isotope records, speleothem isotope records, and lake and marine sediment records. It was assembled through collaborative efforts with the Last Millennium Reanalysis project and provides the basis for published climate reconstructions.
Use Cases
Climate field reconstruction based on the global network of proxy locations and types.
Validation of proxy system models using records with established forward models.
Analysis of Common Era climate variability using the high-resolution, seasonally-averaged proxy data.
Spatial mapping of paleoclimate signals using the provided latitude and longitude coordinates.
Strengths
Contains 2,978 distinct proxy records, providing a substantial global network for analysis.
Records were selected based on specific criteria: resolution of at least 25 years, duration greater than 40 years, and established proxy system models.
Includes multiple proxy types (tree rings, corals, ice cores, etc.) allowing for multi-archive synthesis.
Limitations
A November 2022 update warns of duplicate proxy records, estimated on the order of 50, which requires careful use.
A December 2023 update notes the removal of 183 proxy time series after a more stringent screening, indicating potential version instability.
Column names and exact row counts are not explicitly provided in the available metadata.
Provenance
Source
Collated from PAGES2k Consortium (2017), Breitenmoser et al. (2014), NOAA NCEI's World Data Center for Paleoclimatology, and data solicited from multiple investigators.
Collection Method
Collaborative data collection and screening, documented in accompanying Julia code/Pluto notebook.
Time Range
Focus on the past 2000 years (Common Era), with individual records having a temporal duration greater than 40 years.
Freshness
The most recent update mentioned is from December 2023.
Geography
Global, as indicated by the inclusion of proxy latitudes and longitudes.
Primary data files are in Matlab format (.mat). Users must be cautious of duplicate records as noted in the 2022 warning and aware of changes between the original and the 2023 screened version.