Archaeology Can Help Us Plan for Climate Change

 This week we are going to wrap up our climate change series with a discussion on how archaeology can and does contribute to our understanding of climate change. Archaeologists have long studied the effects of natural and man-made disasters and they have already seen evidence of climate change and sea level rise. Climate disasters, ranging from storms to sea level rise, both reveal and threaten archaeological sites. Archaeologists have been studying climate change in one form or another for about 150 years. 

There are numerous examples of archaeologists studying evidence of past climate change events and sustainability practices from long ago. Dr. Kenneth Sassaman has studied how people on the North Florida Gulf Coast have lived and adapted over 5,000 years of climate change and sea level fluctuation. Early people in this region would move at the rate of a football field every five years to adjust to sea level changes. He also noted changes in their diet that reflect possible climatic changes. 

Archaeologists in Iceland have been studying an area that is a known breeding ground for North American and Eurasian waterfowl. It is an area known for its great diversity in waterfowl species. Archaeologists have noted the remains of waterfowl eggs at sites, but not waterfowl bones. They have identified terrestrial bird bones, so they believe the lack of waterfowl bones is indicative of early sustainability practices. Even today, that area has limits on the number of eggs that can be harvested. Historic documents note that these types of sustainability practices have been taking place since at least the 18th century, but archaeological evidence shows that they may have been occurring even earlier.

Native Americans are reintroducing cultural 
burning to California as a means to address
wildfires. (photo courtesy of NPR)

In California, archaeologists, along with ecologists, botanists, and other scientists, are all working to inform policy discussions regarding current and future improvements to fire management practices. In this case, indigenous histories can provide guidance on how to improve current fire management practices and wildfire response. In California Native American groups are starting to institute the practice of cultural burning, something that has not been done for almost a century since Western settlers arrived in the area. 

Both mitigation and adaptation regulate changes in human behavior. Archaeology can provide information on how we can adapt and mitigate issues like climate change based on how we have done so in the past. Archaeology is currently not widely thought of as a contributor to our scientific understanding of climate change and how we can address it. The only time we really see archaeology as a significant contributor is in respect to how climate change will and is impacting indigenous groups. However, it is important to remember that indigenous groups are contemporary communities, and have the same concerns as every other community. They have concerns over health, economic vitality, infrastructure, and all communities have culture and heritage. Therefore, the information that archaeologists garner from studying any community can be used to help us gain a better understanding of how to address climate change. That being said, indigenous and other minority communities are at greater risk, as we have previously mentioned, and thus it is important that they take priority.

In the Wake of the Storm: The Importance of Preparation for Museums and Heritage Sites

Satellite image of Hurricane Michael, 2018 
(courtesy of NOAA)

 In 2018 Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle and continued up into southern Georgia. The damage was unlike anything seen in the area in recent history and many were unprepared for such an intense storm. The wind and storm surge wreaked havoc on both coastal and inland communities, destroying countless homes and businesses. Another victim of the storm were many small community museums, historic landmarks, and historic cemeteries, many of which still remain closed or damaged to this day.

Rapidly intensifying storms are becoming increasingly common, and scientific data suggests that this trend will continue as the global climate continues to warm. The frequency of category 4 and 5 hurricanes (category 4 having wind speeds of 130 mph  to 156 mph, and category 5 having wind speeds of 157 mph or greater) is increasing as a result of climate change. A storm with a wind speed of 150 mph has 256 times the damage potential of a storm with a wind speed of 75mph. The amount of rain is also increasing, as a warmer climate can retain more moisture. This flooding, along with storm surge, has the potential to damage not only coastal sites and structures, but also those located inland. Recall the amount of flooding sustained by the Muscogee Tribe of Florida, located in Bruce, during Hurricane Sally. Scientific data suggests that both wind and storm surge damage will increase faster than the U.S. economy is expected to grow. Additionally, there is an anticipated increase in the number of storms that will impact the Southeastern U.S. 

Tarped roof of historic structure at the 
Panhandle Pioneer Settlement Museum in 
Blountstown, Florida after Hurricane 
Michael. 

We are used to boarding up our home and our businesses, but if we want to ensure that our heritage resources are protected as well, we need to start considering them in our hurricane preparedness plans. As we responded to heritage sites damaged by Hurricane Michael, it became apparent that many of these locations didn’t have a plan in place for hurricanes, or really any disaster event. And we can’t really blame them. Nobody anticipated such a significant storm, and it had been years since a high intensity storm hit the panhandle with such force. 

There is a lot that even a small, financially strapped, museum can do to help ensure their collections and buildings have a chance of surviving a storm with minimal damage. After seeing the damage of Hurricane Michael, we felt it was our responsibility to get that information out and encourage heritage sites to create a disaster preparedness plan. The fact is, with climate change, eventually most sites will have to turn to their preparedness plan eventually. Besides that, something as simple as a busted pipe can be devastating without a plan in place to respond swiftly. Many were hoping that FEMA would provide significant resources, but that was not necessarily the case for many. First, FEMA funds take time and can leave you waiting while your collection sits and rots. Most FEMA programs require that the institution front the cost and then apply for reimbursement, and require that the repaired damage then be insured. Many small museums cannot afford this. Preparing ahead of time is the safest and surest way to protect your resources. For that reason, FPAN has developed the Disasters and Museum Preparedness (DaMP) workshop, which highlights some of the easiest and most useful steps a heritage site can take to help protect their resources in the event of an emergency. If your heritage site is interested in learning more, please contact your local FPAN office. Even during the pandemic, we are able to provide this workshop virtually to those interested. We are currently at the end of hurricane season, but now is the time to start preparing for the 2021 hurricane season. 

Resources:

Natural Disaster Recovery Resources for Museums and Libraries: https://www.imls.gov/blog/2017/09/natural-disaster-recovery-resources-museums-and-libraries

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (Hurricane categories by wind speed):

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php

How Climate Change is Making Hurricanes More Dangerous (Yale Climate Connections): https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/07/how-climate-change-is-making-hurricanes-more-dangerous/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA5bz-BRD-ARIsABjT4nhIafQ2O7YGrYpvtD9kEWy1lI8-3mtu1bA-O9ILw3vfyZ069eXTY74aAhuSEALw_wcB

Heritage Emergency and Response Training:

https://culturalrescue.si.edu/what-we-do/resilience/heritage-emergency-and-response-training-heart/

FPAN Zoom Into Archaeology: Heritage at Risk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FIHhXweE7k&t=5s

Archaeology and Climate Change: How You Can Help

 Last week we discussed how Native American sites are at risk of being damaged or lost completely due to sea level rise and climate change. Climate change is affecting all of our cultural resources in one way or another, and Florida is especially vulnerable. According to NOAA, the ocean is eight inches higher than it was in 1950, and it could rise up to another eight inches in the next twenty years. That is a significant rate increase in sea level rise! 

Higher sea levels bring with it more intense storm surge that pushes farther inland. It also increases the occurrence of nuisance flooding, such as King Tides (which occur more frequently now in South Florida). We are already seeing the effects of climate change in Florida. One of the complications with sea level rise is that different areas will see different impacts. A great tool for exploring how sea level rise will impact different geographic areas is the NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer

Today, almost 40% of the U.S. population lives in coastal areas that may be vulnerable to sea level rise. Coastal areas have always provided resources and been good places to live. This is true now and was also true for some of Florida’s earliest inhabitants. These early inhabitants left behind evidence of their culture and life, which now exist as archaeological sites. The Florida Master Site File data shows that over 16,000 cultural resources in Florida will be at risk with a one meter rise in sea level. With a two meter rise this number bumps up to over 34,000 cultural sites at risk. This is not an insignificant number. What can we do? We cannot move archaeological sites and it is impractical for a variety of reasons to excavate the entire site. And we cannot stop sea level rise in order to save these sites (although let’s hope we can perhaps curb the rate at which it is rising). 

Gathering data is a good course of action. We cannot tackle an issue if we do not define the problem.

An HMS Florida Scout monitors a
site along Florida's coastline.

Gathering data on archaeological sites helps us with understanding exactly how these sites are being affected by sea level rise. Baseline data can help us determine the rate at which these sites are being damaged and how. It can also help us in establishing techniques to stabilize and protect these sites. Of course, there are many more sites than there archaeologists and we are racing against the clock. This is where volunteers come in! And yes, you can help! 

The Florida Public Archaeology Network has a statewide public engagement program to help get the public involved in documenting and monitoring archaeological sites that are in danger due to climate change and sea level rise. Heritage Monitoring Scouts (HMS Florida) is designed to have volunteers track changes to archaeological sites that are at risk. Scouts will receive monthly updates on training and resources that are available to them and will gain access to a database where they can document their findings systematically. This is a statewide program and anyone can participate, even children with adult supervision. Signing up as a Scout is a great way to get outdoors to explore and do some good too! If you would like more information or have questions about what sites are available to monitor in your area, contact your regional FPAN office.

And if you would like to learn more about HMS or Climate Change, below are some resources worth checking out: 

NOAA Climate Change: Global Sea Level

NOAA Tidal Gages Explained 

Heritage Monitoring Scouts: How to Monitor a Site