Moroccan Tree Ring Chronology from 654 to 37 BCE

Tree ring width measurements from the Jbel EsSa site in Morocco provide a 691-year climate proxy record. The data covers the period from 654 to 37 years before present (BP), calibrated to calendar years BCE. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information archived this paleoclimatology study in 1987.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past precipitation and drought indices for Northern Africa using annual tree ring width variations.
• Calibrate and validate regional climate models by comparing the tree ring chronology with known historical climate periods.
• Analyze the frequency and severity of climatic extremes, such as megadroughts, within the 691-year record from Morocco.
• Correlate the Jbel EsSa chronology with other Mediterranean tree ring datasets to study spatiotemporal climate patterns.

Strengths

• Covers a substantial 691-year time period for climate analysis.
• Provides a geographically specific record from Northern Africa, a region with limited long-term climate proxies.
• Data is archived and maintained by the authoritative NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• The dataset is temporally stale, with no updates since its archival in 1987.
• Limited to a single geographic site (Jbel EsSa), which may not represent broader regional climate.
• The raw data format and specific measurement parameters (e.g., raw width vs. standardized indices) are not detailed in the provided metadata.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring core sampling and measurement (dendrochronology).

Time Range

654 to -37 calendar years BP (Before Present), approximately 654 BCE to 37 BCE.

Freshness

null

Geography

Jbel EsSa, Morocco, Northern Africa.