Sweet Briar College Old-Growth White Oak Tree Ring Chronology

NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology archives a tree ring chronology from an old-growth white oak in Virginia. The data covers 249 calendar years, from 201 to -48 years before present. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) published this study, with a last update recorded in 1998.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct annual temperature or precipitation anomalies for Virginia using tree ring width measurements.
• Calibrate climate models by comparing the tree ring chronology against other regional proxy records.
• Analyze growth response patterns to specific historical events within the 249-year time series.

Strengths

• Covers a 249-year time period (201 to -48 BP), providing a multi-century climate record.
• Sourced from a single old-growth white oak, offering a consistent biological recorder.

Limitations

• Data is from a single tree, limiting statistical robustness for regional climate inferences.
• The temporal coverage ends at -48 BP (approximately 48 AD), lacking modern calibration data.
• Last metadata update was in 1998, indicating potential staleness in documentation.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology).

Time Range

201 to -48 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Virginia, United States Of America.