NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology archives a tree-ring chronology for Ponderosa Pine (PIPO) from Colorado, United States. The dataset provides annual growth measurements covering the period from 260 to 14 calendar years before present. This record was contributed by researchers Fritts and Kassler to the International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB).
Use Cases
- Reconstruct annual temperature or precipitation anomalies using tree-ring width as a proxy.
- Calibrate climate models by comparing the tree-ring chronology against known historical climate periods.
- Analyze growth patterns in Ponderosa Pine (PIPO) to study ecological responses to past environmental stress.
- Cross-date the chronology with other ITRDB series to build regional climate reconstructions for the southwestern US.
Strengths
- Time series spans 274 years, from 260 to 14 BCE.
- Data is curated and archived by NOAA's authoritative World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
- Part of the standardized International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) collection.
Limitations
- Sample size (number of individual tree cores) is unknown, potentially limiting statistical robustness.
- Geographic coverage is limited to a single site in Colorado.
- The dataset's last documented update was in 1964, indicating no recent revisions.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Tree-ring data collected via dendrochronological core sampling.
- Time Range
- 260 to 14 calendar years Before Present (BP).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Colorado, United States of America.