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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Global Database of Borehole Temperatures and Climate Reconstructions - ZA-RTN1

browse graphicPaleoclimatology - Borehole
This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology. The associated NCEI study type is Borehole. The data include parameters of borehole with a geographic location of South Africa, Southern Africa. The time period coverage is from 450 to -38 in calendar years before present (BP). See metadata information for parameter and study location details. Please cite this study when using the data.
  • Cite as: Huang, S.; Pollack, H.N.; Shen, P.Y. (2016-10-16): NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Global Database of Borehole Temperatures and Climate Reconstructions - ZA-RTN1. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/1000527. Accessed [date].
  • Please refer to Credit tab for full citation information.
  • noaa-borehole-1000527
  • NCEI DSI 1200_02
  • NCEI DSI 1200_01
noaa-borehole-1000527
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Distribution Formats
  • Native Format(s)
Ordering Instructions Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact Data Center Contact
NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology
828-271-4800
paleo@noaa.gov
Coverage Description Date Range: 1500 CE to 1988 CE; Date Range: 450 cal yr BP to -38 cal yr BP;
Time Period 1500 to 1988
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: 28.92
East: 28.92
South: -24.03
North: -24.03
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
  • Temperature trends over the past five centuries reconstructed from borehole temperatures
    • Associated Reference published 2000
      Huang, S., Pollack, H.N., and Shen, P.Y., 2000: Temperature trends over the past five centuries reconstructed from borehole temperatures. Nature, 403, 756-758, 10.1038/35001556
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2016-10-16
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Data Update Frequency Data update frequency not available
Supplemental Information
STUDY NOTES: This project has as its goal the design, assembly, analysis and interpretation of geothermal observations on continents relevant to understanding the nature and causes of climate change over the past five centuries. The project was inititated by the Geothermal Laboratory of the University of Michigan, USA. Important collaborations have been developed with the Geophysical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and with a working group of the International Heat Flow Commission of IASPEI. Funding for this project has come from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the International Geological Correlation Program, and the Czech - U.S. Science and Technology Program. The principal components of the database are: (1) Basic geothermal observations from field surveys and laboratory measurements, principally comprising borehole temperature logs and thermophysical properties. This section includes data only from boreholes at least 200 m deep. The data listed are restricted to the range 20-600 meters. Data above 20 m have been omitted because they include annual variability, and data below 600 m have not been included because they contain no information about the past 500 years.Quality control measures have occasionally required the deletion of other data within the 20-600 m range. (2) A five-century ground surface temperature history derived for each site by a standardized inversion procedure operating on the basic observations. The derived history is presented as century-long temperature trends for each of the past five centuries. This representation emphasizes longer term variations of the climate history, and thus is complementary to high resolution proxies such as tree rings, ice cores, corals and lake sediments. (3) The name of the person who can be contacted to learn more about the data and the site. This is either the name of the original investigator who made the observations, or the name of a regional or national data compiler. Some data remain proprietary, and therefore are not accessible directly from this database. Database users desiring access to these data should request the data directly from the person listed as the data contact. A list of investigators engaged in climate studies involving geothermal data can be found at the original web site of this database at the University of Michigan. Updated version of dataset submitted by Huang in October 2016.
ABSTRACT SUPPLIED BY ORIGINATOR: For an accurate assessment of the relative roles of natural variability and anthropogenic influence in the Earth's climate, reconstructions of past temperatures from the pre-industrial as well as the industrial period are essential. But instrumental records are typically available for no more than the past 150 years. Therefore reconstructions of pre-industrial climate rely principally on traditional climate proxy records, each with particular strengths and limitations in representing climatic variability. Subsurface temperatures comprise an independent archive of past surface temperature changes that is complementary to both the instrumental record and the climate proxies. Here we use present-day temperatures in 616 boreholes from all continents except Antarctica to reconstruct century-long trends in temperatures over the past 500 years at global, hemispheric and continental scales. The results confirm the unusual warming of the twentieth century revealed by the instrumental record, but suggest that the cumulative change over the past five centuries amounts to about 1 K, exceeding recent estimates from conventional climate proxies. The strength of temperature reconstructions from boreholes lies in the detection of long-term trends, complementary to conventional climate proxies, but to obtain a complete picture of past warming, the differences between the approaches need to be investigated in detail.
Purpose Records of past temperature derived from boreholes drilled into the Earth crust. Parameter keywords describe what was measured in this dataset. Additional summary information can be found in the abstracts of papers listed in the dataset citations. Information on the University of Michigan Borehole Database datasets are found on the Borehole Data Page (http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/paleoclimatology/borehole).
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Huang, S.; Pollack, H.N.; Shen, P.Y. (2016-10-16): NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Global Database of Borehole Temperatures and Climate Reconstructions - ZA-RTN1. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/1000527. Accessed [date].
  • Please cite original publication, online resource, dataset and publication DOIs (where available), and date accessed when using downloaded data. If there is no publication information, please cite investigator, title, online resource, and date accessed. The appearance of external links associated with a dataset does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the Department of Commerce/NOAA does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this Department of Commerce/NOAA Web site.
Cited Authors
  • Huang, S.
  • Pollack, H.N.
  • Shen, P.Y.
Originators
  • Huang, S.
  • Pollack, H.N.
  • Shen, P.Y.
Publishers
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Theme keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
  • Earth Science > Climate Indicators > Paleoclimate Indicators > Land Records > Boreholes
  • Earth Science > Climate Indicators > Paleoclimate Indicators > Ocean/Lake Records > Boreholes
  • Earth Science > Paleoclimate > Land Records > Boreholes
  • Earth Science > Paleoclimate > Ocean/Lake Records > Boreholes
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
  • earth science > paleoclimate > borehole
  • earth science > paleoclimate > borehole
  • earth science > paleoclimate > borehole
  • earth science > paleoclimate > borehole|climate reconstructions
  • earth science > paleoclimate > boreholes > physical properties
  • Air Temperature Reconstruction
  • temperature
Paleoenvironmental Standard Terms (PaST) Thesaurus
  • What: depth; Material: null
  • What: temperature; Material: rock
  • What: age; Material: null
  • What: surface temperature; Material: null
Data Center keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Place keywords
  • Continent > Africa > Southern Africa > South Africa > ZA-RTN1 > LATITUDE -24.03 > LONGITUDE 28.92
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Huang, S.; Pollack, H.N.; Shen, P.Y. (2016-10-16): NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Global Database of Borehole Temperatures and Climate Reconstructions - ZA-RTN1. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/1000527. Accessed [date].
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
  • Please cite original publication, online resource, dataset and publication DOIs (where available), and date accessed when using downloaded data. If there is no publication information, please cite investigator, title, online resource, and date accessed. The appearance of external links associated with a dataset does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the Department of Commerce/NOAA does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this Department of Commerce/NOAA Web site.
Access Constraints
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
  • None
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Last Modified: 2023-09-01
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