Human-Environment Interactions & Human Ecology in Western Arctic Prehistory

Northern sea ice levels are at an historical and millennial low, and nowhere are the effects of recent climate change more pronounced and destructive than in the Western Arctic, with the erosion and subsequent loss of coastal archaeological sites in this area being yet another casualty. However, the remarkably well-preserved but threatened archaeology of the Western Arctic is shedding important new light on the dynamics of the complex relationship between prehistoric Inuit/Eskimo cultures and past ecosystems. Organic artifacts and bioarchaeological material from sites in this region are feeding diverse but complementary interdisciplinary studies of diet, population genetics, zooarchaeology, paleoentomology, climate change and culture history. Working alongside local descendant communities, archaeological research can also inform understanding of the impact of contemporary climate change on northern communities. This session aims to explore aspects of human-environmental interactions, human ecology and prehistory in the Western Arctic through the lens of contemporary climate change and recent archaeological research. Our objective is to include researchers from a variety of perspectives and methodological specialisms in order to explore temporal and spatial variation and dynamism in human ecology and human-environment interactions in Western Arctic prehistory, and to consider the implications of such research for academic and indigenous stakeholders.