Greek Tree Ring Chronology from Katara Pass (277 BC to 31 AD)

Tree ring width measurements from the Katara Pass Metsovan site in Greece, used for climate reconstruction. The chronology spans 308 years, from 277 BC to 31 AD. Data is archived by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology and was last updated in 1981.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies for Southern Europe using the tree ring width time series.
• Calibrate radiocarbon dating curves by cross-referencing the dated tree ring chronology.
• Analyze climate periodicity and extreme events (e.g., droughts) from the annual-resolution ring width data.
• Compare this Greek tree ring series with other ITRDB chronologies to study regional climate teleconnections.

Strengths

• Chronology covers a 308-year time period (277 BC to 31 AD).
• Data is part of the authoritative International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) collection.
• Provides annual-resolution climate proxy data.

Limitations

• Dataset is small in temporal scope relative to millennial-length tree ring records.
• Last update was in 1981, indicating no recent revisions or additions.
• Geographic coverage is limited to a single site in Greece.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring core samples analyzed to measure ring widths, dated to create a chronology.

Time Range

277 BC to 31 AD (calendar years BP).

Freshness

Last updated 1981-01-01.

Geography

Katara Pass Metsovan, Greece, Southern Europe.