Gdansk Tree Ring Chronology from 188 to -36 BP

Tree ring width measurements from Gdansk, Poland, provide a climate proxy record spanning 224 years, including years before present. The dataset was archived by NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology and is associated with the International Tree-Ring Data Bank. This specific chronology, ITRDB POLA005, was contributed by researcher Wazny and last updated in the NOAA system in 1986.

Use Cases

• Calibrating climate models by comparing the tree ring width time-series with instrumental temperature or precipitation records.
• Reconstructing past drought indices for Poland using the annual resolution of the ring width parameter.
• Dating historical timber samples from the Gdansk region by cross-matching patterns in the ring width chronology.
• Analyzing long-term forest growth trends in Eastern Europe from the tree ring parameter data.

Strengths

• Covers a 224-year time period from 188 to -36 calendar years BP, providing multi-century context.
• Part of the authoritative International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) collection curated by NOAA NCEI.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends at -36 BP (approximately 1986 CE), with no updates since the last system update in 1986.
• The dataset description lacks specifics on sample depth, replication, or measurement statistics, limiting assessment of signal strength.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree ring analysis (dendrochronology), likely measuring ring width from sampled wood cores.

Time Range

188 to -36 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

Last updated in the NOAA system on 1986-01-01.

Geography

Gdansk, Poland, Eastern Europe.