Sweetgrass Hills Tree Ring Chronology for Paleoclimate Analysis

Tree ring width measurements from ponderosa pine (PSME) in Montana's Sweetgrass Hills, collected for paleoclimate reconstruction. The chronology covers 658 years, from 612 to -46 calendar years before present. Data is archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information under its World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies using the tree ring width time-series.
• Calibrate regional climate models by comparing the ring width chronology with instrumental records.
• Analyze growth response and climate sensitivity of ponderosa pine (PSME) in a semi-arid montane environment.
• Establish cross-dating references for other tree-ring studies in the Montana region using this ITRDB series (MT173).

Strengths

• 658-year chronology provides a multi-century climate record.
• Data is part of the International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB), a standardized global archive.
• Sourced from a single species (PSME) at a defined location, reducing ecological confounding factors.

Limitations

• Chronology ends 46 years before present (circa 1900), lacking modern climate change data.
• Single geographic site limits spatial representativeness for broader regional analysis.
• Unknown sample depth (number of tree cores) affects confidence in early period signal strength.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring cores collected and measured using standard dendrochronological techniques.

Time Range

612 to -46 calendar years BP (Before Present, where present is 1950).

Freshness

Data was last updated in 1996, representing a static archival record.

Geography

Sweetgrass Hills, Montana, United States of America.