Walnut Canyon Fire History Reconstruction from Tree Rings

NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology archives fire history data derived from tree ring analysis in Walnut Canyon, Arizona. The dataset covers a time period from 384 to -32 calendar years before present (BP), indicating events both before and after the 1950 reference year. It is maintained by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Reconstructing fire event years from tree-ring fire scar parameters.
• Analyzing the frequency of fire history events over a 400+ year period.
• Correlating fire occurrence timelines with other paleoclimate proxies for the region.
• Studying spatial patterns of historical fires using the geographic location data for Arizona.

Strengths

• Data spans over 400 years of reconstructed environmental history.
• Sourced from the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends in 1982, representing a 40+ year old dataset.
• Specific sample size, column details, and file formats are not provided.
• Calendar year range includes negative values (-32 BP), requiring careful interpretation of the dating convention.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology) for fire history parameters.

Time Range

384 to -32 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

null

Geography

Walnut Canyon, Arizona, United States of America.