Colorado Tree-Ring Width Chronology for Climate Reconstruction

A 480-year tree-ring width chronology from a site in Colorado, United States, covering the period from 450 to -30 calendar years before present. The dataset was archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information World Data Service for Paleoclimatology. The data collection was last updated in 1980.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct historical temperature or precipitation anomalies for Colorado using the tree-ring width parameter as a proxy.
• Calibrate and validate climate model simulations for the last 500 years against the tree-ring chronology.
• Analyze the frequency and severity of past drought events in the region by examining the tree-ring width time series.
• Study the response of high-elevation tree species to long-term climate trends using this site-specific record.

Strengths

• Provides a continuous 480-year chronology for climate analysis.
• Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• The dataset's last update was in 1980, making it temporally stale for modern analysis without recent extensions.
• The geographic scope is limited to a single site (Pumphouse, PIED) in Colorado.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology), measuring ring widths.

Time Range

450 to -30 calendar years BP (Before Present).

Freshness

1980-01-01

Geography

Colorado, United States of America.