Spanish Creek Tree Ring Chronology For Climate Reconstruction

Tree ring width measurements from ponderosa pine trees at Spanish Creek, Montana. The chronology spans 348 calendar years, from 327 to -21 years before present. Data was archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information under its Paleoclimatology program.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct annual temperature or precipitation anomalies using the tree ring width time-series.
• Calibrate the chronology against other regional proxies using its dated year sequence.
• Analyze growth response to extreme climate events within the 348-year record.
• Validate climate model simulations of past centuries for the Montana region using the dated proxy data.

Strengths

• Chronology provides a 348-year continuous time-series for climate analysis.
• Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends 21 years before present (1950 CE standard), limiting analysis of the most recent climate period.
• The single-site location from Montana may not represent broader regional climate patterns.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring measurements (dendrochronology) from ponderosa pine (PSME) samples.

Time Range

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

Freshness

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Geography

Spanish Creek, Montana, United States.