Session: #698

Theme & Session Format

Theme:
Theories and methods in archaeological sciences
Session format:
Session, made up of a combination of papers, max. 15 minutes each

Title & Content

Title:
Just Add Water and Mix: Heritage and climate change - challenges and novel approaches
Content:
Although some dispute the causes of climate change, most agree that changes are taking place now. Successive reports have presented projections that, over time, have been shown to be correct, and there is every indication that significant change will continue into the future. There has been increasing awareness of the vulnerability of heritage sites to climate change, and it is likely that places besides or below water will be some of the most affected in the short term. Rising sea levels, flash floods, increased melt water, more powerful storms and warming oceans and lakes can all affect heritage sites, resulting in catastrophic damage. We are already seeing increased rates of erosion, inundation, chemical change and organic decay, and it is probable that damage will accelerate.
In order to start planning for the future, we all need to come together to develop solutions, similar to the way that the Rescue movement galvanised action in previous decades. Although the scale of the problem may make us despondent, the threats also pose new opportunities, with novel approaches to recording being developed and greater involvement of communities in heritage management and recording. We welcome papers that outline current problems or courses of action to mitigate the growing threat to sites besides or below water, together with discussions exploring what can be learned from past extremes. We hope that the papers presented will be of use to all as we start to tackle the threat that climate change poses to our shared archaeological heritage.
Keywords:
Climate change; marine; coastal; lakes
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no

Organisers

Main organiser:
Archaeologist Tom Dawson (United Kingdom) 1,2
Co-organisers:
Technology Manager Anthony Corns (Ireland) 3,4
Project Officer Stephanie Ostrich (United States) 5,6
Senior Investigator (Aerial Survey) Toby Driver (United Kingdom) 7,4
Affiliations:
1. University of St Andrews
2. SCAPE
3. The Discovery Programme
4. CHERISH
5. CITiZAN
6. MOLA
7. RCAHMW