Dry Creek Arizona Tree Ring Chronology from 320 to -36 BP

Tree ring width measurements from the Dry Creek site in Arizona, covering a period from 320 to -36 calendar years before present. The dataset is archived by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology as part of the International Tree-Ring Data Bank. This specific chronology (ITRDB AZ517) was last updated in 1986.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past climate variables like precipitation or temperature by analyzing the tree-ring width time-series.
• Calibrate radiocarbon dating or other chronological methods using the established calendar year timeline from 320 to -36 BP.
• Study ecological responses to historical climate events by examining growth patterns in the PIED (Pinus edulis) species record.
• Perform cross-dating analysis with other southwestern US chronologies using the standardized ring-width indices.

Strengths

• Chronology covers a 356-year period (320 to -36 BP), providing a multi-century climate proxy.
• Data is part of the authoritative International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) and NOAA/NCEI Paleoclimatology archive.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, with a last update date of 1986, potentially missing modern methodological refinements.
• Geographic coverage is limited to a single site (Dry Creek, Arizona), limiting regional representativeness.
• The dataset's sample size (number of core samples) and specific measurement parameters are not provided in the description.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology) of Pinus edulis (PIED) samples.

Time Range

320 to -36 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Dry Creek, Arizona, United States of America.