Climate Change and Archaeology in Northwest Alaska: Nuluk Study

Project ID: P12AC10761

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: Portland State University

Fiscal Year: 2012

Initial Funding: $47,700

Total Funding: $146,004

Project Type: Research

Project Disciplines: Cultural

National Park: Alaska Region

Principal Investigator: Anderson, Shelby

Agreement Technical Representative: Holt, Michael

Abstract: The goal of this collaborative project between Portland State University (PSU) and the National Park Service (NPS) are to: 1) collect archaeological data on past human-environment interactions that can be applied to present day climate change issues in northwest Alaska, and 2) assess and document the impact of climate change processes on archaeological sites in coastal areas of the Nuluk study unit of Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (BELA). The overarching purpose is to evaluate why and how people adapted to and altered their environment during past episodes of arctic environmental variability, and to understand how modern climate change impacting archaeological sites on the coasts and shores of northwest Alaska. Project activities over a three year period will include: the development of an inventory and monitoring plan for the coastal regions of BELA and Cape Krusenstern National Monument (CAKR); survey, documentation, and testing of archaeological sites in the Nuluk Study Unit; artifact and settlement pattern analysis; national register eligibility determination completion; production of a final technical report summarizing project findings and making recommendations for future research and resource management. A non-technical project summary will be written annually for NPS public and internal needs, and large format posters will be designed to share project results with local communities and the public. In addition to contributing to new data on past human-environment interactions and evaluating site impacts and integrity according to NPS management needs, this project will establish the foundation for an expanded NPS climate change coastal vulnerability study scheduled to begin within the next two years