Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

CANADA #224: Human Adaptation and Arctic Climate Evolution : Earth and Social Sciences Perspectives  (HADAC Poject)

Outline
This project addresses relationships between climate change and human activity in the Arctic from prehistoric periods (circa 8-7 ka BP) to the present. Emphasis is placed on the reconstruction of post-glacial climates and landscapes, through the analysis of palaeoenvironmental and cultural records, in the form of animal and vegetal remains and material culture found on archaeological sites, using the last century as a modern point of reference. The project will also consider cultural impacts of climate changes in particular case studies; demonstrated in terms of the availability of critical natural resources which may, in turn, influence population dynamics in the Arctic. Palaeoecologists, anthropologists and archaeologists have documented various direct impacts of climatic changes on the distribution of resources and upon specific aspects of the development of arctic cultures and their population dynamics during the late Holocene. The interaction of climatic, adaptive and social variables in shaping cultural trajectories remains a central research interest, especially so in the context of current, rapid environmental change. The project will examine groups of sites that constitute a transect across critical regions and time periods in the Arctic. It will utilise high-resolution dating methods to facilitate the comparison of these case studies to existing proxy climate records and archaeological reconstructions. The steps of this project will consist of: Performing archaeological evaluations of sets of selected sites; Studying the impact of site formation processes, on each site (e.g., landslides, floods, etc.); Studying the palaeoecology of the lakes and/or peatlands located on and near the sites (micromorphology, faunal studies, pollen, macrofossils, and entomology); Compiling the results in order to determine the cultural and environmental relationships between the various sites. This project comprises closely interwoven avenues of research, which are currently applied to archaeological sites: geomorphology, material culture, anthracology, archaeobotany, archaeoentomology, zooarchaeology, xylology, dendrochronology of driftwood and micromorphology. To date, the research has concentrated on the south shore of the Hudson Strait under the auspices of the SSHRC supported CURA program «Des Tuniit aux Inuit» (2001-2003). By evaluating archaeological and ecological data from six carefully chosen groups of sites, and by co-ordinating our results within an international program examining the conditions linked with the history of human settlements in the Arctic zones during the Holocene, we will be in a position to establish a broad Arctic palaeoecological database and to refine climatic and landscape reconstructions in the region.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
This project includes natural and social sciences. Conventional palaeoenvironmental reconstructions will be reinforced with new types of proxy data from archaeological sites. This will permit us to better identify specific climate changes in the polar regions, especially in the Canadian Arctic and the North Pacific, as well as their impacts on Palaeoeskimo and Inuit cultures. In addition, this project will allow us to explore new approaches to the problem of assessing human dimensions of environmental change. The Arctic may be considered the best laboratory for examining the human impact, given the particular sensitivity of the Arctic environment.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Archaeologists and palaeoenvironmentalists from different countries (Canada, U.S.A, France, Russia and Denmark) will work together on this project, all of whom have the required expertise to work on multi-disciplinary polar research.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Palaeoenvironmental and archaeological research will be carried out on sites from the extreme northeast of Siberia, Alaska, the region between the north of the Yukon and the estuary of the Mackenzie River, Nunavut, Nunavik, and the central west coast of Greenland.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 06/06-10/06      06/07-09/07      06/08-09/08
Antarctic: 06/09-09/09      07/09/10/09      

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
The primary logistical needs consist of a helicopter and several refuelling posts; these can be shared with other projects. Furthermore, we will be able to use the infrastructure resources of the Centre d’études nordiques, of the Canadian Polar Continental Shelf Project, and of the Research Center of Nunavik (Kuujjuaq).

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
This will include the development of an international, circumpolar database on palaeoecological and archaeological analyses. This database will strengthen links between different institutions and researchers, both in terms of giving students experience in the laboratory and in the field, and in developing a shared body of archaeological and geoarchaeological knowledge.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
Own national polar operator
Another national polar operator
National agency
Own support
Other sources of support

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
No

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?


This project is a new initiative for a research group funded by SSHRC’s CURA program. That project succeeded in linking palaeoecological and archaeological data in site-based landscape studies on the south shore of Hudson Strait. The richness of the project’s results encouraged the international expansion of the programme.

How will the project be organised and managed?
An international steering committee representing the various research groups from each site will be established. This committee will be responsible for facilitating communications between researchers and students, co-ordinating the sharing of data, as well as managing the funds responsibly. Thus, the budget will first be discussed by the group of participating researchers in order to determine the best way allocate the available funds.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
The proposed educational program has three beneficiaries: young Inuit students who will acquire basic training in archaeology and environmental sciences through fieldwork experience; teachers who will receive additional training and professional development; and both Inuit and non-Inuit university students.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
HADAC Project will produce a palaeoecological database for archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, and palaeoclimatologists. Towards the end of the project, this database will be made available to all interested parties through a project website. In addition to conventional publications, other research activities will include regular meetings and conferences within the Inuit communities.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
HADAC Project will produce a palaeoecological database for archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, and palaeoclimatologists. Towards the end of the project, this database will be made available to all interested parties through a project website. In addition to conventional publications, other research activities will include regular meetings and conferences within the Inuit communities.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
This study is of particular pertinence given the present context of global warming, where the frequency, intensity, and nature of environmental change appears to be at risk of increasing, causing significant damage to both human activities and the natural environment. In order to understand these processes and plan for the future, it is fundamentally important to improve our knowledge of the interaction between past and present populations in the Arctic regions, environments that are distinct due to their extreme sensitivity to climate change.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Najat Bhiry
Centre d’études nordiques Université Laval
Sainte-Foy
Québec
G1K 7P4
Canada

Tel: 418-656-2131-4754
Mobile: no
Fax: 418-656-3960
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation