Osha Mountain Ponderosa Pine Tree Ring Chronology from New Mexico

Tree ring width measurements from Ponderosa Pine (PIPO) trees on Osha Mountain, New Mexico, span 400 calendar years from 369 to 31 BCE. The dataset is archived by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology as part of the International Tree-Ring Data Bank. Data was published by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information in 1981.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past drought severity by analyzing annual tree ring width variations.
• Calibrate climate models using the 400-year proxy record of local growing conditions.
• Study the frequency of climatic extremes like wet or dry years within the time series.
• Compare this Ponderosa Pine chronology with other regional tree ring records for spatial climate analysis.

Strengths

• 400-year continuous chronology from 369 to 31 BCE.
• Data is part of the authoritative International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB).

Limitations

• Data is from a single geographic location (Osha Mountain), limiting spatial representativeness.
• The dataset was last updated in 1981, potentially lacking modern re-analysis or metadata enhancements.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring measurements (dendrochronology) from Ponderosa Pine trees.

Time Range

369 to -31 calendar years BP (Before Present, 1950), equivalent to 369 BCE to 31 BCE.

Freshness

null

Geography

Osha Mountain, New Mexico, United States.