Assessing Predictability of Dam Effects at Archaeological Sites Using Long-Term Repeat Lidar Surveys

Summary

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

Repeat lidar surveys conducted over multiple years are a means of monitoring physical changes at archaeological sites with methods that are objective, replicable, accurate, and relatively low impact. These monitoring data can also be useful for testing assumptions about how archaeological site condition may change in response to changes in upstream dam operations and consequent alterations in the downstream environment. Using topographic change data collected with terrestrial lidar over the past decade at 29 sites along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, Arizona, we assessed predictability of a conceptual model in terms of whether sites are likely to aggrade or degrade in response to ongoing operation of Glen Canyon Dam located upstream from the study area. Initial analysis of the lidar-based monitoring data demonstrates that effects of dam operations on archaeological sites are generally predictable when geomorphic setting, local sediment supply, weather conditions, and dam-induced riparian vegetation expansion are considered. While we developed the conceptual model and monitoring methods as a means of assessing dam effects on downstream archaeological sites, the approach is broadly transferable to other contexts and for other research purposes, such as assessing influences of changing climate on cultural resources

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37578.0