Colorado Ponderosa Pine Tree Ring Chronology 171-48 BP

NOAA NCEI archives this tree ring dataset from a Ponderosa Pine site in Colorado, USA. The chronology provides annual-resolution climate proxy data covering the period from 171 to 48 calendar years before present. It was contributed to the International Tree-Ring Data Bank and last updated in 1998.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct historical temperature or precipitation anomalies from annual tree-ring width measurements.
• Calibrate regional climate models by comparing the chronology's growth patterns with known climate events.
• Analyze long-term drought frequency and severity in Colorado using the ring-width time series.
• Cross-date archaeological wood samples from the region using the established master chronology.

Strengths

• Provides a 219-year continuous annual-resolution chronology from 171 to 48 BP.
• Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a specific 219-year window, not extending to the modern era.
• The dataset's last update was in 1998, indicating potential staleness in metadata or documentation.
• Geographic scope is restricted to a single site (Ridge Road), limiting regional representativeness.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring cores collected and measured to create a standardized chronology.

Time Range

171 to 48 calendar years Before Present (BP).

Freshness

Last updated in 1998; static historical archive.

Geography

Colorado, United States of America (specific site: Ridge Road).