Tree ring width data from the Onion Valley site in California provides a 960-year climate proxy record from 923 to -37 calendar years before present. The dataset is part of the NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology archive, specifically the International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB). It was published by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information in 1987.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies by analyzing the tree ring width time-series.
- Calibrate climate models using the 960-year proxy record to validate simulations for the California region.
- Study the frequency of extreme climatic events, such as droughts, visible as narrow ring sequences in the chronology.
- Perform cross-dating with other ITRDB chronologies using the standardized ring width index data.
Strengths
- Covers a 960-year temporal range (923 to -37 BP), providing a long-term climate record.
- Part of the authoritative International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) collection from NOAA/NCEI.
Limitations
- Data is temporally stale, last updated in 1987 and may lack modern methodological refinements.
- Geographic coverage is limited to a single site (Onion Valley) in California, limiting regional generalization.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Tree ring cores collected and measured via dendrochronological methods, archived as part of the International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB).
- Time Range
- 923 to -37 calendar years before present (BP).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Onion Valley, California, United States of America.