Ditch Canyon Tree Ring Chronology for New Mexico Paleoclimate

NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology archives this tree ring chronology from the Ditch Canyon site in New Mexico. The data covers a 396-year period from 375 to -21 calendar years before present. It was contributed by Dean and is maintained by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past climate variables like precipitation or temperature using tree ring width measurements.
• Calibrate and validate climate models with proxy data from the 396-year chronology.
• Analyze long-term ecological responses to climate change in piñon pine (PIED) ecosystems.
• Establish regional cross-dating networks by comparing this ITRDB NM023 series with other southwestern chronologies.

Strengths

• Data spans a 396-year period (375 to -21 BP), providing a multi-century climate record.
• Archived by the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• The temporal coverage ends 21 years before present (1950), limiting analysis of the most recent climate period.
• Data is from a single site (Ditch Canyon), which may not represent broader regional conditions.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring data collection (dendrochronology) from piñon pine (PIED).

Time Range

375 to -21 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Ditch Canyon, New Mexico, United States.