DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTCAL DATABASE

The IntCal family of radiocarbon (C-14) calibration curves is based on research spanning more than three decades. The IntCal group have collated the C-14 and calendar age data (mostly derived from primary publications with other types of data and meta-data) and, since 2010, made them available for other sorts of analysis through an open-access database. This has ensured transparency in terms of the data used in the construction of the ratified calibration curves. As the IntCal database expands, work is underway to facilitate best practice for new data submissions, make more of the associated metadata available in a structured form, and help those wishing to process the data with programming languages such as R, Python, and MATLAB. The data and metadata are complex because of the range of different types of archives. A restructured interface, based on the IntChron open-access data model, includes tools which allow the data to be plotted and compared without the need for export. The intention is to include complementary information which can be used alongside the main C-14 series to provide new insights into the global carbon cycle, as well as facilitating access to the data for other research applications. Overall, this work aims to streamline the generation of new calibration curves.

Automated summary

The IntCal family of radiocarbon calibration curves, based on over three decades of research, has collated C-14 and calendar age data and made them available through an open-access database since 2010. The aim is to provide transparency in terms of the data used in constructing the calibration curves.