Massachusetts Tree Ring Chronology for Paleoclimate Reconstruction

Tree ring width measurements from a site in Massachusetts, United States, provide a proxy climate record. The chronology covers 254 years, from 189 to -65 calendar years before present. Data is archived by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology, with a last update in 2015.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation by calibrating tree ring width measurements against instrumental climate records.
• Analyze growth trends and anomalies within the 254-year chronology to identify periods of environmental stress.
• Compare this Massachusetts tree ring series with other regional chronologies to study spatial climate patterns.
• Validate climate model simulations of pre-industrial conditions using this proxy data from 189 to -65 BP.

Strengths

• Chronology spans 254 calendar years, providing a multi-century climate proxy.
• Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends at -65 BP (approximately 65 BCE), lacking data for the most recent two millennia.
• Data is from a single site (ITRDB MA028), limiting spatial representativeness for broader regional analysis.
• The dataset's last documented update was in 2015, potentially indicating stale metadata or versioning.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

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

Time Range

189 to -65 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

Last updated 2015-01-01.

Geography

Massachusetts, United States of America.