Aerial Mapping Approaches for Long-Term Monitoring of Heritage Landscapes Impacted by Climate Change

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

There is a strong need to document heritage landscapes impacted due to rapidly changing climates in Canada. This paper presents two case studies about using UAV-based technology to better understand landscapes impacted by climate change. Both examples use UAV photogrammetric methods to monitor large and complex archaeological heritage sites. The first case study applies noninvasive UAV-based change detection for the long-term monitoring of erosional processes. This was conducted at a threatened buffalo jump site over a period of four years. Located in traditional Blackfoot territory, the site is being impacted by increased flooding events in Southern Alberta’s foothills. The second example comes from the rapidly melting and changing ice patch landscapes of Yukon’s subarctic high alpine. Here ice melt at ancient high-elevation gathering places is revealing archaeological objects, ancient trails, and hunting features, which are being documented using a UAV-photogrammetric approach. As community-oriented research, this work combines traditional knowledge, spatial mapping, and digital storytelling practices conducted together by researchers, Yukon government employees, and local First Nations youth, Elders, hunters, and land stewards of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35882.0