Tree Ring Chronology for Climate Reconstruction at Wofford Lookout, New Mexico

Tree ring width measurements from ponderosa pine (PSME) trees at the Wofford Lookout Cloudcroft site in New Mexico. The chronology covers 450 years, from 435 to 15 years before present, and is archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. This dataset was published as part of the International Tree-Ring Data Bank in 1965.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct annual precipitation or temperature anomalies for New Mexico using the tree ring width time series.
• Calibrate regional climate models by comparing the 450-year tree ring chronology with instrumental records.
• Analyze growth patterns in ponderosa pine (PSME) to study historical drought frequency and severity.
• Establish a dated master chronology for the Wofford Lookout site to cross-date other tree ring samples from the region.

Strengths

• Chronology spans 450 years, providing a multi-century climate proxy.
• Data is part of the authoritative International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) collection.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends 15 years before present (1965), lacking recent decades.
• Geographic scope is limited to a single site (Wofford Lookout, New Mexico).
• Sample size and replication statistics for the tree ring series are unknown from the metadata.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Dendrochronological analysis of ponderosa pine (PSME) tree cores.

Time Range

435 to -15 calendar years BP (approximately 1515 CE to 1965 CE).

Freshness

null

Geography

Wofford Lookout Cloudcroft, New Mexico, United States.