Cedar Butte Ponderosa Pine Tree Ring Chronology from South Dakota

345 years of tree-ring width data, covering the period from 304 to -41 calendar years before present, provide a proxy record of past climate conditions. The dataset is part of the NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology archive, specifically the International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) collection, and was contributed by researcher Meko. It was last updated in the NOAA system in 1991.

Use Cases

• Reconstructing past temperature or precipitation anomalies by analyzing the annual tree-ring width series.
• Calibrating the tree-ring chronology against instrumental climate records to build climate proxy models.
• Comparing the Cedar Butte PIPO (Pinus ponderosa) chronology with other regional tree-ring datasets for spatial climate analysis.
• Studying long-term ecological growth patterns and responses to environmental stressors in a semi-arid region.

Strengths

• Covers a 345-year period, providing a multi-century climate proxy record.
• Part of the authoritative, peer-reviewed International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) collection.

Limitations

• Data recency is low, with a last update recorded in 1991, potentially lacking modern methodological revisions.
• Geographic coverage is limited to a single site (Cedar Butte, South Dakota), limiting broad spatial conclusions.
• The exact sample depth (number of tree cores) and measurement statistics are unknown from the provided metadata.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring cores collected and measured using standard dendrochronological techniques.

Time Range

304 to -41 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Cedar Butte, South Dakota, United States of America.