Tree ring data from the Kea Flat site in New Zealand provides a climate proxy record spanning 400 years from 370 to 30 years before present. The dataset is archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information under the World Data Service for Paleoclimatology. It was last updated in the NOAA system in 1980.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies using the tree ring width chronology.
- Calibrate radiocarbon dating curves for the New Zealand region by cross-referencing the dated tree ring series.
- Analyze long-term climate cycles by examining the 400-year time-series of tree ring parameters.
- Validate climate model simulations of past conditions for the South Pacific using the proxy data from this specific site.
Strengths
- Covers a 400-year time period (370 to 30 BP)
- Sourced from the authoritative NOAA/NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology
Limitations
- Temporal coverage ends 30 years BP, lacking recent centuries
- Data is from a single geographic site (Kea Flat, New Zealand), limiting regional generalization
- Last metadata update was in 1980, indicating potential staleness in documentation
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology
- Collection Method
- Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology)
- Time Range
- 370 to 30 calendar years before present (BP)
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Kea Flat, New Zealand