Maritime Heritage Management in the Face of Climate Change Impacts: Lessons from the Spring Break Wreck

Summary

This is an abstract from the "A Sudden Wreck: Interdisciplinary Research on the Spring Break Shipwreck, St Johns County, Florida" session, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Coastal environments are experiencing climate change impacts that include increased and intensified storm events, changing coastlines, and erosion. As a result, resource managers and archaeologists face new challenges dealing with eroding and migrating sites, as well as so-called "beach finds" such as the Spring Break Wreck. While a distinctive set of circumstances, including political and public pressure, helped determine the ultimate fate of this wreck, it nonetheless offers archaeologists an opportunity to explore and refine broad reaching techniques in addressing future discoveries. As a case study, the wreck provides an opportunity to explore best practices for managing historic beach wreckage and other maritime heritage resources. Practices explored in this paper include shoreline monitoring, tagging and tracking, and general public education.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2019   •
• A Sudden Wreck: Interdisciplinary Research on the Spring Break Shipwreck, St Johns County, Florida

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 178