Category:Climate Change

Introduction

Information regarding the impacts of climate change on archaeological sites. A resource portal under development.

From Bickler and Clough (2007): Island nations face an uncertain future with the possibility of significant changes to their coastline as result of climate change. New Zealand is a similar size to the mainland United Kingdom, with an extensive and complex coastline, but unlike Britain, the archaeological record in the Land of the Long White Cloud is massively weighted towards that coastline. For both Maori arriving from Polynesia up in the order of 1000 years ago and European settlers in the 19th Century, the coast has been the focus. As a result, major changes in that coastline as the result of climate change will impact significantly on the archaeology record.

Walton (2007) has recently identified some of the many and varied dimensions relating the impact of climate change on archaeology in New Zealand. However, climate change is not the only threat to archaeological sites, nor necessarily the biggest - in the short term. Today, coastal development is rampant, particularly in the North Island and some of the most attractive locations are close to, and occasionally on, the areas most vulnerable to changing sea levels and flooding. Tsunamis are high in people’s consciousness (see e.g., McFadgen 2007) while, weather patterns such as the cycle of El Niño and La Niña have also probably impacted on archaeological sites although the to what extent is not well documented (McFadgen 2001). These are the some of the more dramatic threats but normal farming, industrial and other modern human activities continue on in the background.

Useful References

New Zealand

• Bickler, S. and R. Clough. in press. The Impact of Climate Change on the Archaeology of New Zealand’s Coastline.
• McFadgen, B. 2001. Report on some implications of climate change to Department of Conservation activities. Science and Research Unit, Department of Conservation.
• McFadgen, B. 2007. Hostile Shores: Catastrophic Events in Prehistoric New Zealand and Their Impact on Maori Coastal Communities. Auckland University Press: Auckland.
• Walton, T. 2007. Potential Adverse Effects on Climate Change on Historic Heritage. Archaeology in New Zealand 50(3):186-194.

Other

External Links