New Zealand Tree Ring Chronology from Lake Orbell

NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology provides a tree-ring chronology from the Lake Orbell site in New Zealand. The data covers the period from 366 to -30 calendar years before present (BP), representing a paleoclimate proxy record. This archived study is maintained by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past climate variables like temperature or precipitation using the tree-ring width chronology.
• Calibrate radiocarbon dates by correlating the tree-ring series with known calendar years.
• Analyze climate extremes and long-term trends in New Zealand using the multi-century time-series data.
• Compare the Lake Orbell chronology with other Southern Hemisphere tree-ring records to study regional climate patterns.

Strengths

• Data spans approximately 396 years (366 to -30 BP), providing a multi-century climate record.
• Archived and maintained by the authoritative NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends at -30 BP (approximately 1980 CE), with no updates since the original 1980 publication.
• The single-site focus limits geographic representativeness for broader New Zealand climate studies.
• Specific parameters (e.g., ring-width measurements, sample depth) are not detailed in the provided metadata.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology).

Time Range

366 to -30 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Lake Orbell, New Zealand.