Tree ring width measurements from the Medicine Bows site in Wyoming provide a 569-year chronology for paleoclimate analysis. The data, archived by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology, is a contribution to the International Tree-Ring Data Bank. This specific chronology was last updated in 1990.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct historical temperature or precipitation anomalies using standardized tree ring width indices.
- Calibrate the chronology against other proxy records from the region to validate climate signals.
- Analyze growth trends and potential disturbances within the 569-year time series.
- Compare the Medicine Bows site chronology (ITRDB WY020) with other tree ring records from Wyoming.
Strengths
- Chronology spans 569 calendar years (529 to -40 BP), providing a multi-century climate record.
- Data is part of the authoritative International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) curated by NOAA NCEI.
Limitations
- Data was last updated in 1990, making it temporally stale for modern analyses requiring recent updates.
- The single-site focus (Medicine Bows) limits geographic representativeness for broader regional studies.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Tree ring core samples analyzed via dendrochronology to create a width measurement chronology.
- Time Range
- 529 to -40 calendar years before present (BP).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Medicine Bows site, Wyoming, United States.