Schweingruber's tree ring chronology from the Lötschental valley provides annual-resolution climate proxy data spanning 230 years, from 182 to -48 calendar years before present. The dataset was archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information under its World Data Service for Paleoclimatology. This study was last updated in 1998.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies using the annual tree ring width measurements.
- Calibrate radiocarbon dating curves by cross-referencing the dated tree ring sequence.
- Analyze climate forcing events by identifying narrow or wide ring patterns within the 230-year chronology.
- Validate other regional paleoclimate proxies by comparing the Lötschental ring width series.
Strengths
- Provides a 230-year annually-resolved chronology from 182 to -48 BP.
- Sourced from a single geographic location (Lötschental, Switzerland), ensuring environmental consistency.
Limitations
- The dataset is temporally stale, with no updates since its 1998 publication.
- The sample depth (number of trees sampled per year) is unknown, which affects statistical confidence.
- Geographic coverage is limited to one valley in Switzerland, reducing broad regional applicability.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology) from samples collected in the Lötschental valley.
- Time Range
- 182 to -48 calendar years before present.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Lötschental, Switzerland, Western Europe.