Fort Simpson Tree Ring Chronology for Paleoclimate Reconstruction

NOAA's Paleoclimatology archive provides a 181-year tree-ring chronology from the Fort Simpson region in Canada's Northwest Territories. The data, collected by researcher Schweingruber, covers the period from 143 to -38 calendar years before present. This dataset is part of the International Tree-Ring Data Bank and was archived by NOAA NCEI in 1988.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature anomalies by analyzing annual tree-ring width measurements.
• Calibrate climate models using the 181-year chronology to validate historical climate events.
• Study ecological responses to climate change by correlating ring patterns with known environmental shifts.
• Perform cross-dating with other ITRDB chronologies from the region to improve temporal accuracy.

Strengths

• 181-year continuous chronology provides a substantial proxy climate record.
• Data is curated and archived by NOAA's authoritative World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
• Part of the standardized International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) ensuring consistent format.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends at -38 BP, limiting analysis of very recent climate trends.
• Single geographic location (Fort Simpson) restricts broader regional climate inferences.
• Data is from 1988 and may lack modern reanalysis or updated calibration.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring core samples analyzed to create a standardized chronology.

Time Range

143 to -38 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

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Geography

Fort Simpson, McKenzie River region, Northwest Territories, Canada.