Mapping Near-Historical Climate Impacts to Coastal Sites

Summary

Historical archaeologists examine material culture dating to the industrial period, which spawned human-induced climate change. We are uniquely positioned to examine changes through the material record. Additionally archeologists have been making and recording observations about the condition of sites for many years. Archeologists in the National Park Service (NPS) have, in doing so, inadvertently left their own record of climate change effects. These observations are stored in NPS’s Archaeological Sites Management Information System (ASMIS).

The most important contribution we can make to climate change adaptation is to use our data to understand the causes, directions, and ongoing dynamics of climate change impacts. We disseminate results of a study of site condition data from several U.S. National Parks, and provide recommendations for future study. We consider how park planners and managers might use these data to prioritize and preserve cultural resources in the face of rising sea levels.  

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Most Important Contribution Historical Archaeology Can Make to the Situation of Climate Change   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 487