Swiss Tree Ring Chronology From 162 to -24 BP

NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology archives a tree ring dataset from the Schweingruber - Riederalp Vs Aletschwald study. The data provides a chronology spanning from 162 to -24 calendar years before present, collected in Switzerland. This dataset is maintained by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and was last updated in 1974.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past climate variables like temperature or precipitation using tree-ring width measurements.
• Calibrate radiocarbon dating models by correlating the tree-ring chronology with known time periods.
• Analyze growth anomalies in the PICE species (likely *Picea abies*) to identify past environmental stress events.
• Compare this Swiss chronology (ITRDB SWIT109) with other regional tree-ring series for spatial climate analysis.

Strengths

• Chronology covers a 186-year time range from 162 to -24 BP.
• Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is relatively short for long-term paleoclimate trend analysis.
• Data is geographically limited to a specific site in Switzerland, Western Europe.
• The dataset has not been updated since 1974, potentially lacking modern methodological refinements.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology), likely measuring ring widths from the PICE species.

Time Range

162 to -24 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Switzerland, Western Europe.