Tree-ring width measurements from the Pratomagno-Bibbiena site in Italy's Appenine Mountains provide a climate proxy record. The chronology covers 433 years, from 410 to 23 calendar years Before Present (BP). This archived paleoclimatology study is maintained by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies by calibrating tree-ring width series against instrumental climate records.
- Establish a regional dendrochronological master chronology for cross-dating other archaeological or subfossil wood samples from Italy.
- Analyze the frequency of narrow rings (indicating stress years) to identify periods of drought or volcanic cooling events in Southern Europe.
- Validate climate model simulations of the late Holocene by comparing modeled hydroclimate outputs with the tree-ring proxy data.
Strengths
- Chronology spans 433 consecutive years, providing a multi-century climate record.
- Data is archived and curated by the authoritative NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
Limitations
- The temporal coverage ends at 23 BP (Before Present), making the most recent data over 2000 years old and not directly comparable to modern instrumental periods.
- The geographic scope is limited to a single site (Pratomagno-Bibbiena) in the Appenines, which may not represent broader regional climate signals.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology) of samples collected from the Pratomagno-Bibbiena site.
- Time Range
- 410 to -23 calendar years BP (Before Present, where 0 BP = 1950 CE). This corresponds approximately to 540 BCE to 23 BCE.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Pratomagno-Bibbiena, Appenine Mountains, Italy, Southern Europe.