Newfoundland Tree Ring Chronology for Climate Reconstruction

NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology archives this tree ring dataset from Mountain Lake, Newfoundland, Canada. It provides a chronology covering 194 calendar years, from 156 to -38 years before present. The data were collected and published by Schweingruber and last updated in 1988.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct historical temperature or precipitation anomalies using the tree ring width chronology as a proxy.
• Calibrate climate models by comparing the tree ring time-series data with instrumental records from the region.
• Analyze growth patterns and extreme events within the 194-year chronology to identify past climatic stressors.
• Cross-date and validate other paleoclimate records from northeastern North America using this established chronology.

Strengths

• Data spans a continuous 194-year chronology (156 to -38 BP), providing a multi-century climate proxy.
• Sourced from the authoritative NOAA/NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology, ensuring archival stability.
• Geographically precise, with a specific collection location at Mountain Lake, Newfoundland.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to 194 years, which is relatively short for some long-term paleoclimate studies.
• Data has not been updated since 1988, potentially lacking modern methodological refinements or metadata expansions.
• The single-site nature of the dataset limits spatial representativeness for broader regional analysis.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring core samples analyzed to create a width chronology.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated in 1988; static historical archive.

Geography

Mountain Lake, Newfoundland, Canada.