USGCRP May 6 2016
Background: SAA has been asked to participate in a workshop hosted by USGCRP, and the SAA Board has asked the
Climate Change Strategies and Archaeological Resources (CCSAR) Committee to represent the Society in these
discussions. This paper is response to a meeting with USGCRP staff in Washington DC April 12th 2016.
Contact: Thomas H McGovern CCSAR chair, [email protected]
Overall Areas for Archaeological Contribution to Global Change Research
a) Long term completed experiments of the past- big picture case studies of human ecodynamics
(human environmental impacts, climate change impacts, inter-cultural interactions) on the millennial
scale. Identifying recurring and rare patterns, assessing outcomes of adaptive pathways, identifying long
term vs. short term sustainability. Providing empirical data to both develop and test models of socialecological systems from our threatened "distributed observing network of the past". Understanding and
communicating the lessons of the longue durée “better than Jared Diamond”. Understanding the past
lived experience of climate change; what global and regional climate changes actually meant to the
individuals and communities who lived through them: rapid environmental change is not new.
REFERENCE ATTACHED: Margaret C. Nelson · Scott E. Ingram · Andrew J. Dugmore · Richard Streeter · Matthew A.
Peeples · Thomas H. McGovern · Michelle Hegmon · Jette Arneborg · Keith W. Kintigh · Seth Brewington · Katherine A.
Spielmann · Ian A. Simpson · Colleen Strawhacker · Laura E. L. Comeau · Andrea Torvinen · Christian K. Madsen · George
Hambrecht · Konrad Smiarowski (2016). Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security. PNAS 113(2):298-303.
b) From Black Box to Cultural tool kit: Collaboration with LTK holders, environmental historians,
environmental humanities and archaeologists to open up the "black box" of cultural tool kits for
management and survival on the millennial scale. Identifying effective common resource management
structures, understanding community level responses to threats and opportunities, understanding
unanticipated outcomes and limits to adaptation. (LINK: Steve Hartman Blog on Future Earth Website:
http://www.futureearth.org/blog/2015-jun-3/unpacking-black-box-need-integrated-environmentalhumanities-ieh )
c) DONOP Distributed Observing Networks of the Past: archaeological sites with organic preservation
are increasingly being recognized as vital data sources for a wide range of modern resource
management and sustainability scenario building as a host of new applications (aDNA, stable isotopes,
trace elements) enrich the contributions of Zooarchaeology, Archaeobotany, and human
Bioarchaeology. From the Gulf of Maine to the coast of Iceland to the Salish Sea archaeologists are
collaborating with natural scientists, LTK holders, marine biologists, climatologists, and oceanographers
in correcting “shifting baselines” and enabling effective mobilization of millennial scale records of
oceans past to address urgent issues of sustainability of marine ecosystems and human communities.
This record is now urgently endangered just as it is beginning to produce its most significant results.
REFERENCE ATTACHED: Poster from AGU 2016 Anne Jensen et al.
USGCRP May 6 2016
d) Archaeological Environmental Modeling: Modeling has become what Dr. Tim Kohler has called the
“third leg of the archaeological stool” taking its place alongside fieldwork and laboratory research as a
key area for production of knowledge and integration of diverse data sets. New high resolution multiproxy climate data sets now available are allowing breakthroughs in collaborative modeling work
between archaeologists, climatologists, and resource managers. New collaborative models provide high
definition retro-dictions of climate impacts on maize and fodder crop production already being used to
aid planning for future climate impacts on agriculture and food security. More sustained and systematic
collaboration between archaeological and natural science modelers will provide some key new tools for
promoting future sustainability.
(LINK to the NSF funded SKOPE project: http://www.envirecon.org/ )
e) Engaging the public in global change science: Archaeology provides excellent opportunities for
public engagement with field sciences, hands on experiential learning, place based sustainability
education, heritage as empowerment, and direct participation by the public in prioritizing responses to
climate change impacts. An exemplary program by Historic Scotland (that is being widely used as an
international model and now works in close contact with the US National Park Service climate change
program) is the SCAPE program led by Tom Dawson (U St. Andrews). SCAPE provides a set of integrated
digital tools to engage public participation and communication of climate change impacts. Archaeology
can partner with other social science and humanities disciplines in better communicating global change
impacts to the public and in stimulating and engaging wider citizen science participation at the local and
national level.
(LINK to SCAPE website: http://scapetrust.org/ )
Community Concerns and areas for cross field cooperation:
1) Climate change threats to heritage and DONOP are linked. Response to save scientific data can be productively
coupled with community engagement and empowerment. Threat is coupled with opportunity for US and
international science and management. We must address the impacts on cultural heritage AND our capacity to
learn from them. As noted in US NPS climate impact planning: 'every place has a climate story' and sharing the
stories of impacts on and lessons from cultural heritage are important avenues for communication and connection
on climate change.
2) Urgent and coordinated response is needed to both mount effective rescue efforts for immediately endangered
high-value sites, and to gather broad expertise from the national and international community, set standards for
prioritization of response and resource allocation, identify areas of rapid and intense impact, and develop effective
funding strategies for a response that will not only rescue endangered data but build capacity, human and
institutional capital, and expand public engagement with heritage, science, and environmental change.
Key Contacts:
Marcy Rockman, USNPS
George Hambrecht, U Maryland
Torben Rick, Smithsonian Inst. Anthropology
USGCRP May 6 2016
William Fitzhugh, Smithsonian Inst. Arctic Center
Tim Kohler, Anthropology Washington State U
Virginia Davis, Oregon State U Portland
Dan Sandweiss, U Maine Orono
Tom Dawson, U St Andrews Scotland
Potential Exemplary Case Study of Interdisciplinary collaboration: Smithsonian Channel Islands CA Project
Research led by Dr. Torben Rick (chair, Anthropology Dept. Smithsonian Inst) in the Channel Islands of southern
California now involves productive collaboration with Smithsonian and U Oregon programs in archaeology,
paleontology, conservation biology, environmental education and public outreach. Dr. Rick’s teams provide an
excellent example of a highly productive and successful existing program involving partnership among Federal and
State agencies, universities, and the general public. PAPER ATTACHED (Rick et al Bioscience) LINKS BELOW provide
more information and contacts:
http://anthropology.si.edu/archaeobio/rick_research.html
http://natural-history.uoregon.edu/research/paleocoastal-research-project
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/science_article/?id=378