Tree ring width data from Colorado's Great Sand Dunes region provides a 960-year climate proxy record. The dataset was archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information and World Data Service for Paleoclimatology. It was last updated in the public archive in 1995.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct past precipitation and drought cycles by analyzing annual tree ring width variations.
- Calibrate radiocarbon dating models using the precisely dated tree ring chronology.
- Study the impact of volcanic events or climatic shifts on forest growth in the Rocky Mountain region.
- Compare this local chronology with other North American tree ring datasets to identify regional climate patterns.
Strengths
- Covers a long temporal range of 960 calendar years (915 to 45 BC).
- Sourced from the authoritative NOAA/NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
- Provides a precisely dated, site-specific chronology for a distinct geographic location.
Limitations
- Data is temporally stale, with no public updates since its 1995 archive date.
- The sample size (number of tree cores or series) is unknown and may be limited.
- Geographic coverage is restricted to a single site in Colorado, limiting broader regional analysis.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology) of samples collected at the study site.
- Time Range
- 915 to -45 calendar years before present (BP), equivalent to 915 BC to 45 BC.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, United States of America.