Tree ring width measurements from Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir) trees at Cougar Creek, Washington, provide a proxy climate record spanning 480 calendar years. The dataset is archived by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology and was published in 1980. It contributes to the International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) as site WA049.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies using the tree-ring width time-series as a climate proxy.
- Calibrate the chronology against known climate events within the 450 to -30 BP time period.
- Compare growth patterns from this Pseudotsuga menziesii site (WA049) with other ITRDB chronologies for regional climate analysis.
- Validate climate model simulations of the late Holocene period using this high-resolution proxy record.
Strengths
- Chronology covers a continuous 480-year period from 450 to -30 calendar years before present.
- Data is part of the authoritative International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB), ensuring standardized formatting.
Limitations
- Temporal coverage ends at -30 BP (approximately 1980 AD), limiting analysis of recent climate trends.
- The specific sample depth (number of tree cores) and measurement statistics are unknown from the provided metadata.
- Geographic coverage is limited to a single site (Cougar Creek) in Washington State.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Dendrochronological analysis of tree ring widths from Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir).
- Time Range
- 450 to -30 calendar years before present (BP).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Cougar Creek, Washington, United States of America.