ENDANGERED ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHIVES IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC: CRISIS AND RESPONSE

Archaeological sites around the world regularly contain deeply stratified layers of discarded refuse that provide a unique window into past conditions in the local area and broader ecosystem. Modern archaeologists work with a wide range of natural and physical science specialists who study animal bones, insect remains, wood, charcoal, and soils as well as artifacts. These specialists have been joined by scientists working with ancient DNA, trace element chemistry, and stable isotopes (Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulfur, Strontium) that are opening up whole new areas of collaborative research in understanding the past that have immediate relevance to efforts to manage resources for future sustainability. Past food web structures, genetic bottleneck events, and the biogeography of commercial fish and sea mammals prior to the impact of commercial exploitation are all becoming accessible to investigation. Archaeological deposits thus form a “distributed observing network for long term global environmental change” and are recognized as key archives by IHOPE and the Future Earth Initiative. However, a great number of these archives are immediately endangered by sea level rise, soil warming, and human activity- these are data in peril. The North Atlantic Biocultural Organization (NABO, www.nabohome.org) international research and education cooperative is working to pool resources and expertise to collaborate on projects to manage and rescue these resources and to mobilize the wider public to aid in heritage conservation and global change science. This presentation summarizes current NABO collaborative work in the North Atlantic and seeks additional collaborators through the GSA network.