German Historical Timber Tree-Ring Data from 196-76 BCE

Tree-ring width measurements from historical timbers in Straubing, Bavaria, provide a climate proxy for a 120-year period. NOAA's World Data Service for Paleoclimatology archives this data, which covers the years 196 to 76 BCE. The dataset was originally published in the 19th century.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past temperature or precipitation anomalies by analyzing tree-ring width series.
• Cross-date archaeological timber samples from Bavaria using the established tree-ring chronology.
• Calibrate regional climate models with proxy data from the 196-76 BCE time period.
• Investigate climate forcing events, such as volcanic eruptions, by identifying narrow ring sequences.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 120-year period (196-76 BCE) for climate reconstruction.
• Sourced from a single geographic location (Straubing, Bavaria), ensuring local climatic relevance.

Limitations

• Dataset is very old, with a last updated date of 1874, indicating potential metadata or format obsolescence.
• Sample size and number of individual tree cores are unknown, limiting statistical confidence.
• Geographic coverage is limited to one site in Germany, reducing broader regional applicability.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology) of historical timber samples.

Time Range

196 to 76 calendar years before present (BP), i.e., 196-76 BCE.

Freshness

null

Geography

Straubing, Bavaria, Germany.