Tree ring width measurements from the Kaibab Plateau in Arizona provide a climate proxy record spanning 494 years, from 468 to -26 calendar years before present. The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service for Paleoclimatology archives this dataset, which was last updated in 1976.
Use Cases
- Reconstruct annual precipitation and temperature variability for the Kaibab Plateau using tree ring width as a proxy.
- Calibrate regional climate models by comparing the tree ring chronology with instrumental records from the 20th century.
- Analyze the frequency and severity of historical drought events in Arizona through anomalies in the ring width time series.
- Study the growth response of Ponderosa pine (PIED) to climatic stressors over a multi-century timeframe.
Strengths
- Time series covers 494 years of annual-resolution climate proxy data.
- Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
Limitations
- Data record ends 26 years before present (1976), lacking modern calibration.
- Geographic scope is limited to a single site (Kaibab Plateau, Arizona).
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.
- Collection Method
- Tree ring core samples analyzed to measure annual ring widths.
- Time Range
- 468 to -26 calendar years before present (BP).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Kaibab Plateau, Arizona, United States.