Tree Ring Chronology from Lac Natuak Spanning 245 Years

Tree ring width data from a site in Quebec, Canada, provides a 245-year chronology for climate reconstruction. The dataset covers the period from 207 to -38 calendar years before present, with negative values indicating years after 1950. It is archived by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information as part of the World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Use Cases

• Calibrating climate models by comparing reconstructed temperature or precipitation proxies from tree ring widths with instrumental records.
• Analyzing growth anomaly years within the 245-year chronology to identify periods of extreme drought or cold in Quebec.
• Cross-dating this Lac Natuak chronology with other ITRDB series to build regional climate reconstructions for eastern Canada.

Strengths

• 245-year continuous chronology from 207 to -38 BP provides a multi-century climate record.
• Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• The dataset's last update was in 1988, potentially missing modern methodological revisions.
• The single-site geographic focus in Quebec limits broad spatial climate inferences.
• Specific sample depth, measurement statistics, and climate parameter calibrations are not detailed in the provided metadata.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring core samples analyzed to measure ring widths, likely following standard dendrochronological techniques.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated in 1988.

Geography

Lac Natuak, Quebec, Canada.