Custer State Park Tree Ring Chronology From 175 to 40 BC

Tree ring width measurements from Custer State Park in South Dakota, USA, used for paleoclimate reconstruction. The chronology covers 215 years from 175 to 40 calendar years before present (BP). Data is archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information under the World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies by analyzing annual tree ring width variations.
• Calibrate radiocarbon dating or other chronological models using the precisely dated tree ring sequence.
• Study the frequency and severity of historical droughts in the Black Hills region through ring width signatures.
• Compare this local chronology with other ITRDB series to analyze spatial climate patterns over centuries.

Strengths

• Chronology spans 215 years, providing a multi-century climate record.
• Data is part of the International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB), a standardized global archive.
• Associated with NOAA NCEI, an authoritative environmental data center.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends at 40 BP, providing no data for the modern instrumental period.
• Sample size and replication statistics for the tree ring series are unknown.
• Geographic coverage is limited to a single site in Custer State Park, South Dakota.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology), likely from core samples.

Time Range

175 to -40 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Custer State Park, South Dakota, United States Of America.