Preserving Arctic Archaeology in the 21st Century: Threats of Climate Change
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Date
2010-12-16T16:39:00Z
Authors
Goetz, Pauline
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Waterloo
Abstract
Archaeological sites around the world are facing many challenges. These challenges include urban
expansion, resource exploitation, tourism, governmental infrastructure programs such as road
development and one of the most recently recognized challenges is climate change. The
archaeological record of the Arctic tundra is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in the climate, with
its fragile ecosystems and ground underlain by permafrost. The impact of increasing global
temperatures is a major public issue of the 21st Century, and the ramifications on archaeological sites
are significant. The impacts felt over the next century are predicted to range from a sea level rise of
almost a metre to a 6.4°C rise in temperature (IPCC, 2007:13). Arctic archaeological sites often
invoke a feeling of being in stasis, simply waiting for the next researcher to come along and discover
them anew. In fact, the continued existence of these sites is taken for granted, and many are in fact
under siege from environmental factors. While the Arctic may face some of the greatest
environmental challenges to its archaeological record, it also has some of the greatest potential of in
situ preservation in the world. The slow growth of infrastructure in many parts of the Arctic along
with a very low population density has meant that threats from development are not as significant or
pressing as in other locales both in Canada and throughout the world. This means that the potential to
preserve the archaeological record for future generations and future technologies is substantial if the
surrounding environment can be stabilized. This paper summarizes the effects of a warming climate
upon archaeological sites and uses the Arctic as a focal point, as it is the northern regions that are
currently recognized as the most environmentally vulnerable. The Sannirut site on Bylot Island,
Nunavut presents an excellent case study on the importance of preservation policies as well as the
practicalities on how it can be done with current technologies.
Description
Keywords
Archaeological Sites, Climate Change, Heritage Management, Preservation, Arctic