Great Sand Dunes Tree Ring Chronology for Paleoclimate Analysis

690 to -45 calendar years BP of tree ring width data from Colorado, USA. This dataset provides a dendrochronological record for reconstructing past climate conditions. It is archived by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology and was last updated in 1995.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies by analyzing the annual tree ring width series.
• Calibrate climate models using the multi-century chronology to validate historical climate simulations.
• Study the growth patterns of Pinus ponderosa (PIPO) in relation to documented climatic events within the 735-year time span.
• Cross-date and validate other tree-ring chronologies from the Colorado region using this master series.

Strengths

• 735-year chronology providing a long-term climate proxy
• Data sourced from the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology

Limitations

• Data recency is limited, with a last update in 1995, potentially missing modern analytical refinements
• Geographic scope is restricted to a single site in Colorado, limiting regional generalization

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology)

Time Range

690 to -45 calendar years before present (BP)

Freshness

1995-01-01

Geography

Colorado, United States Of America