Swiss Alpine Tree Ring Chronology from 11 to -46 BP

A 58-year tree ring chronology from the Alp Holzmatten site in Switzerland, covering the period from 11 to -46 calendar years before present. The dataset contains parameters related to tree ring growth and is archived by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology. The data was published as part of the International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) and last updated in 1996.

Use Cases

• Calibrating climate models by comparing tree-ring width variations with instrumental climate records for the Alpine region.
• Reconstructing past temperature or precipitation anomalies in Western Europe using the tree-ring chronology as a proxy.
• Analyzing growth response patterns in Picea abies (PICE) to infer environmental stressors during the covered time period.
• Cross-dating this chronology with other regional tree-ring series to validate and extend climate reconstructions.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 58-year time range (11 to -46 BP) from a single site, providing a focused temporal snapshot.
• Archived and curated by NOAA's authoritative World Data Service for Paleoclimatology, ensuring formal metadata standards.
• Part of the standardized International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB), facilitating comparative analysis with global datasets.

Limitations

• The temporal coverage is relatively short (58 years), limiting analysis of long-term climate trends or low-frequency cycles.
• Data is geographically limited to a single site (Alp Holzmatten, Switzerland), reducing regional representativeness.
• The dataset was last updated in 1996 and may lack modern re-calibrations or methodological refinements.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology.

Collection Method

Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology) from Picea abies samples.

Time Range

11 to -46 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

Last updated 1996-01-01.

Geography

Alp Holzmatten, Switzerland, Western Europe.