Digital Archaeology at Sites 16VN3504 and 16VN3508 in Western Louisiana: Digital Preservation in the Face of Climate Change

Summary

This is an abstract from the "*SE The New Normal: Approaches to Studying, Documenting, and Mitigating Climate Change Impacts to Archaeological Sites" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Digital archaeology provides opportunities to help safeguard and disseminate archaeological knowledge in the context of climate change. As environmental shifts intensify, archaeological sites are increasingly at risk, necessitating urgent measures to protect their invaluable information. Technologies such as 3D photogrammetry, LiDAR, and Geographic Information Systems can be employed to digitally capture and archive site information, while being low cost and limiting field crew environmental exposure. Digital preservation not only conserves data but allows for remote access and mitigates physical exposure risks. Hurricanes cause a loss of information by damaging archaeological sites through flooding, erosion, and tree falls. Given the changing climate, it is vital to conserve and share archaeological information. Online repositories and interactive platforms democratize access, enabling researchers to engage with archaeological data regardless of geographic constraints. This poster shares a case study from two large multi-component sites, 16VN3504 and 16VN3508, in the Kisatchie National Forest of western Louisiana. Digital archaeology techniques were used to document the sites, both impacted by tree falls from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, as well as ongoing looting. Stakeholders can leverage digital tools for public engagement, navigate the challenges of climate change, and foster preservation of our shared cultural heritage.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• *SE The New Normal: Approaches to Studying, Documenting, and Mitigating Climate Change Impacts to Archaeological Sites   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38859.0