Blue Ridge Parkway Tree Ring Chronology From 363 to -32 BP

Tree ring width measurements from the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia provide a 395-year paleoclimate record. The data was archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information under its World Data Service for Paleoclimatology. This specific chronology was last updated in 1982.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies by calibrating tree ring width series against instrumental climate data.
• Analyze growth suppression events within the chronology to date historical disturbances like fires or insect outbreaks.
• Compare the VA009 site chronology with other ITRDB records to assess spatial coherence of climate signals across eastern North America.
• Validate or extend climate model simulations of past centuries using this proxy record of environmental conditions.

Strengths

• Time series covers 395 calendar years, from 363 to -32 years before present.
• Data is part of the International Tree Ring Data Bank (ITRDB), a standardized global archive.

Limitations

• The dataset's last update was in 1982, potentially missing newer methodological refinements or extended chronology.
• Single-site record from Virginia limits broad regional conclusions without additional proxy records.
• Calendar year BP dating requires careful conversion for comparison with Common Era timelines.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology), likely measuring ring width parameters.

Time Range

363 to -32 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

Last updated 1982-01-01.

Geography

Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia, United States of America.