Tree ring width measurements from the Merced Grove in California provide a 401-year climate proxy record. The dataset, archived by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology, covers the period from 360 to -41 calendar years before present. This study was published in 1991.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies using the tree ring width time-series.
- Calibrate climate models by comparing the proxy tree ring record with instrumental data for overlapping periods.
- Analyze the frequency and severity of historical droughts in California through the tree ring growth indices.
Strengths
- 401-year continuous chronology from 360 to -41 BP.
- Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
Limitations
- The dataset's last update was in 1991, making it temporally stale for contemporary analysis without newer corroborating data.
- The geographic coverage is limited to a single grove (Merced Grove) in California, limiting regional generalizability.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology).
- Time Range
- 360 to -41 calendar years before present (BP).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Merced Grove, California, United States of America.