California Tree Ring Width Chronology from 450 to -30 BP

Tree-ring width measurements from Kaiser Pass, California, provide a paleoclimate record. The time series covers 480 years, from 450 to -30 calendar years before present. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) archived this study, last updated in 1980.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies from the tree-ring width time-series.
• Calibrate climate model simulations for the North American region using this 480-year proxy record.
• Analyze the frequency of extreme climate events (e.g., droughts) within the time-series coverage period.
• Compare this California chronology with other tree-ring datasets to study spatial climate patterns.

Strengths

• 480-year temporal coverage from 450 to -30 BP provides a multi-century climate record.
• Data is archived and maintained by the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service.

Limitations

• The dataset's last update was in 1980, indicating potential staleness in metadata or access methods.
• Sample size (number of tree cores) and replication statistics are unknown, affecting uncertainty estimates.
• Geographic coverage is limited to a single site (Kaiser Pass, California), reducing regional representativeness.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology) of samples from Kaiser Pass, California.

Time Range

450 to -30 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Kaiser Pass, California, United States of America.