Oregon Tree Ring Width Chronology from 750 BC

Tree ring width measurements from Horse Ridge in Oregon provide a climate proxy record spanning from 750 to 37 years before present. This dataset is part of the PAGES North America 2K network and is archived by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. The data was published in 1987.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies using the tree-ring width time-series as a proxy.
• Calibrate climate models by comparing the ring-width chronology with instrumental records for the overlapping period.
• Analyze the frequency of extreme climatic events, such as droughts, indicated by narrow ring sequences in the Oregon chronology.
• Study ecological resilience by examining growth response, captured in ring-width variability, to known historical climate shifts.

Strengths

• Covers a 787-year period (750 to 37 BP), providing a multi-century climate record.
• Part of the standardized PAGES North America 2K network, ensuring methodological consistency for continental-scale studies.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, with a last update recorded in 1987, potentially missing newer methodological refinements.
• Geographic scope is limited to a single site (Horse Ridge, Oregon), limiting regional representativeness.
• The raw data format and specific measurement parameters are not detailed in the provided description.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology).

Time Range

750 to 37 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

1987-01-01

Geography

Horse Ridge, Oregon, United States of America.