Illinois Tree Ring Chronology from 264 to 30 BCE

Tree ring width measurements from the Kankakee River State Park in Illinois provide a 294-year climate proxy record. The data covers the period from 264 to 30 calendar years before present, ending before the Common Era. This archived study is maintained by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology and was last updated in 1980.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct annual temperature or precipitation anomalies for Illinois using the tree ring width index as a proxy.
• Calibrate regional climate models by comparing the tree ring chronology against other paleoclimate archives for the same time period.
• Analyze growth response patterns to identify extreme drought or wet years within the 264 to 30 BP interval.
• Establish a dated master chronology for the region to aid in cross-dating other undated wood samples.

Strengths

• 294-year continuous annual resolution record.
• Data curated and archived by NOAA's authoritative World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• Record ends at 30 BP, providing no data for the last two millennia.
• Single site location limits spatial representativeness for broader regional analysis.
• Last metadata update was in 1980, potentially indicating outdated documentation or formats.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology).

Time Range

264 to -30 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Kankakee River State Park, Illinois, United States of America.