Tree-ring width measurements from live trees in the Les Merveilles area of the French Alps, used for climate reconstruction. The chronology covers a 788-year period from 763 to 24 BC (calendar years before present). Data is archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information under its World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct past summer temperatures using the tree-ring width series as a proxy.
- Calibrate the tree-ring chronology against other regional paleoclimate records for cross-validation.
- Analyze growth patterns in the series to identify extreme climatic events like droughts or cold periods.
- Study long-term ecological changes in Alpine forest ecosystems based on the growth record.
Strengths
- Chronology spans 788 consecutive years from 763 to 24 BC.
- Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
Limitations
- Data record ends over 2000 years ago, limiting analysis of recent climate trends.
- Geographic scope is limited to a single site in the French Alps.
- Sample size and replication depth of the underlying tree cores are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Dendrochronological analysis of live tree core samples.
- Time Range
- 763 to 24 BC (calendar years before present).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Les Merveilles area, French Alps, France, Western Europe.