Cultural responses to the altithermal: The role of aquifer‐related water resources

Abstract

The focus of this research is Early Archaic adaptation to the hot and dry Altithermal in the North American Great Plains. The view presented here suggests a direct link between Altithermal climatic conditions and cultural responses to those conditions. Water was a key factor in cultural adaptation to arid Altithermal conditions. Statistical analysis reveals a significant relationship between Early Archaic site location and certain sources of groundwater that is not apparent during the periods preceding and succeeding the Altithermal. The distribution of Early Archaic sites may reflect increased emphasis on predictable water supplies offered by aquifers. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Human Responses to Middle Holocene (Altithermal) Climates on the North American Great Plains

“…Where such freshwater sources were especially scarce-as on the Southern High Plains-the sites were used repeatedly. These occurrences may well reflect a larger pattern of settlement, in which group movements were tied to water sources, as Sheehan (1994) suggests. Unfortunately, and in the absence of a more representative record, the data to support such a conclusion are unavailable.…”

Middle HoloceneBisondiet and mobility in the eastern Great Plains (USA) based onδ13C,δ18O, and87Sr/86Sr analyses of tooth enamel carbonate

“…Differences between these sources would be visible in the incremental δ 18 O record of bison dentitions. Progressive warming and drying throughout the middle Holocene may have limited surface water and concentrated animal populations in areas where water availability was constant, seasonally predictable, or both (Bamforth, 1997;Meltzer, 1995;Sheehan, 1994). If indeed bison were tethered to groundwater-fed ponds, lakes, and larger rivers, then we would expect a damping effect on the δ 18 O amplitude of bison tooth sequences when compared to seasonal changes in precipitation (δ 18 O prec ).…”

“…Given the patterns in modern bison grazing behavior, we would expect these animals to respond to drought conditions in terms of increased mobility (Fortin et al, 2003), an overall decrease in population size or even morphological change (Craine et al, 2009;Hill et al, 2008). Furthermore, because bison require fresh drinking water, the temporal and spatial distribution of water sources is important (Bamforth, 1997;Sheehan, 1994). Quantitative measures of the bison response to landscape changes are rare in the literature, with most studies forced to rely on models based in behavioral ecology (e.g., Bamforth, 1988) or historical documents (e.g., Bamforth, 1987;Reher, 1978;Tatum, 1980) which are of dubious utility when investigating middle Holocene bison.…”

Hydrologic response of the Crow Wing Watershed, Minnesota, to mid-Holocene climate change

“…Although it has been known for some time that aquifer systems respond to changes in climate on time scales of decades to centuries (Sheehan, 1994;Heinl, 1996;Edmunds et al, 1999;Corbet, 2000), how these changes affect other aspects of the watershed hydrologic cycle has only recently been given serious consideration (Yeh and Eltahir, 1998;Levine and Salvucci, 1999;Kim et al, 1999;York et al, 2002;Cohen et al, 2006). If water-table aquifers are in good hydrologic connection to surface-water bodies, lake levels and stream discharge will be modifi ed as groundwater levels fl uctuate (e.g., Winter, 1983;Alley and Leake, 2004;Bredehoeft, 2002;Sophocleous, 2000;Kendy, 2003).…”