California Tree-Ring Width Chronology from 750 to 37 BCE

Tree-ring width measurements from the Yolla Bolly region of California provide a proxy climate record. The chronology spans 787 years, from 750 to 37 calendar years before present (BCE), archived by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology. This dataset was published in 1987.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct historical temperature or precipitation anomalies by calibrating tree-ring width series against instrumental records.
• Analyze the frequency and severity of past drought events in California using the annual resolution of the ring-width chronology.
• Validate regional climate model simulations for the last millennium by comparing outputs to this high-resolution proxy timeseries.
• Study long-term ecological responses to climate change by examining growth trends within the 787-year tree-ring record.

Strengths

• 787-year continuous chronology providing long-term climate context
• Annual resolution data suitable for high-frequency climate event analysis
• Sourced from the authoritative NOAA/NCEI Paleoclimatology archive

Limitations

• Single geographic location limits spatial representativeness for broader California
• Data last updated in 1987, potentially missing newer methodological refinements
• Unknown sample depth (number of trees) underlying the chronology

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology)

Time Range

750 to -37 calendar years BP (787-year period ending 37 BCE)

Freshness

1987-01-01

Geography

Yolla Bolly region, California, United States of America