Deciphering the impact of change on the driftwood cycle: contribution to the study of human use of wood in the Arctic

Alix, Claire

doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2004.10.004

Cited by 62 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Ethnographic and archaeological records provide evidence that people understood that specific tree species were better suited for specific tasks such as tool use or as fuel. So driftwood provided a wider range of taxa to meet various technological needs (Alix andBrewster 2001, Lepofsky et al 2003:126) All five samples used in this study were associated with house features from the Ahteut village (Table 1). Ceramics from the Ahteut site are ideal for a comparative study of Northwest Alaskan ceramics.…”

Section: Ahteut Sitementioning

confidence: 93%

“…Driftwood is made available through a four-stage cycle of treefall, river transport, ocean circulation and coastal delivery. The cycle is subject to variation, with large climatic shifts and small seasonal changes capable of disrupting the cycle (Alix 2005). Inhabitants of the Ahteut site also had standing forests of birch and white spruce available from which they could harvest dead and dry wood (Giddings 1951:3,102).…”

Section: Driftwood Available To Coastal Peoples Would Have Originatedmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Determining Initial Firing Temperatures of Thule Era (1000-250 ya) Pottery from Two Northwest Alaskan Archaeological Sites

Duelks¹

2015

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This research was conducted to investigate the initial firing temperatures (IFT) of pottery from two archaeological sites in Northwest Alaska. Arctic ceramics are consistently described as lowfired technology in archaeological and ethnographic literature. However, regional and temporal variation in the quality and hardness of arctic ceramics suggests variation in firing temperatures. To describe all Arctic pottery as low-fired ignores variation in firing temperatures and ultimately in the production process. Sherds from two archaeological locales, the Cape Krusenstern site complex and the Ahteut village site, were selected to represent sites with differential access to fuel resources. IFT's were estimated by measuring color change in a stepwise refiring experiment. Preliminary results indicate that a majority of sherds from Cape Krusenstern had lower initial firing temperatures than did sherds from Ahteut. Additionally, this experiment indicates that (1) a majority of the sherds contained residual organic content, (2) shows the effects of the presence of organic content on a refiring experiment, and (3) confirms that vessels from these two sites were originally fired under reducing atmospheres. These results do provide a better understanding of the production process of arctic ceramics. The difference between the initial firing atmosphere and the refiring atmosphere, as well as the presence of organic content, may be masking the true indications of initial firing temperatures. Because of these confounding factors additional research, including alternative methods of estimating initial firing temperatures, are necessary. Beyond reconstructing the production process of Northwest Alaskan ceramics, understanding initial firing temperatures provides important information regarding environmental constraints on the ceramic production process and the methods precontact potters used to overcome them. This work also adds to our understanding of fuel use and management.Duelks

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Section: Ahteut Sitementioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Driftwood Available To Coastal Peoples Would Have Originatedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining Initial Firing Temperatures of Thule Era (1000-250 ya) Pottery from Two Northwest Alaskan Archaeological Sites

Duelks¹

2015

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“…Changes in environmental conditions are also known to affect the amount of driftwood available and the importance of knowing the locations of recurring driftwood catchments among many native peoples (Alix, 2005;Moulin et al, 2010;Piegay and Gurnell, 1997). Some argue that the location of driftwood catchments along riparian tracks are key in the location of winter encampments (Brauner, 1976;Etzioni and Etzioni, 1964;Frey, 1987;Steward, 1938Steward, , 1977, an assumption that seems reasonable as it relates to the availability of burnable fuel in those areas.…”

Section: Indigenous Fuel Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fuel exploitation as a factor in Shoshone winter mobility

Bishop

Plew

2015

North American Archaeologist

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This paper estimates fuel exploitation as a way of assessing the extent to which use of firewood in the Desert West should be considered an important factor in determining on the basis of seasonal use, how quickly available wood stores would be exploited. Recognizing that more mobile foragers during spring-fall may not be seriously impacted by fuel availability, we focus our discussion on the potential impact of fuel depletion during the winter period. We use Julian Steward and Murphy and Murphy's locational descriptions of winter villages on the Snake River Plain to calculate fuel return rates of driftwood/deadfall and sagebrush by foraging radii. We argue that fuel depletion is a primary cause of re-location of encampments during the winter period.

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“…Driftwood has always been very important to communities throughout Alaska (Alix and Koester 2002, Alix and Brewster 2004, Wheeler and Alix 2004, Alix 2005. In the western portion of the state, there is no large woody vegetation on the landscape, so driftwood has traditionally been the only source of large wood used as a fuel source and in construction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating local knowledge and science: economic consequences of driftwood harvest in a changing climate

Jones¹,

Kielland²,

Hinzman³

et al. 2015

E&S

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ABSTRACT. The integration of local knowledge and science represents an opportunity to enhance the understanding of interrelations among climate, hydrology, and socioeconomic systems while providing mutual benefits to scientists and rural communities. Insight from rural Alaskans helped to identify a social-ecological threshold used to model potential driftwood harvest from the Yukon River. Information from residents of Tanana, Alaska, was combined with scientific data to model driftwood harvest rates. Modeling results estimated that between 1980 and 2010, hydrologic factors alone were responsible for a 29% decrease in the annual wood harvest, which approximately balanced a 23% reduction in wood demand because of a decline in number of households. The community's installation of wood-fired boilers in 2007 created a threshold increase (76%) in wood demand that is not met by driftwood harvest. Modeling analyses of numerous climatic scenarios illustrated that increases in hydrologic variability would decrease the reliability of future driftwood harvest. Economic analyses demonstrated that increased climatic variability could have serious economic consequences for subsistence users while demanding more of their time. Lost time is important because it reduces their availability for performing other subsistence activities and learning to adapt to climate-related challenges. Our research may benefit communities by providing a tool that can be used to predict the timing and duration of driftwood runs. Information gathered from discussions with local stakeholders provided critical information for model development and thus provided a better understanding of regional social-ecological dynamics. Our research also illustrates the potential for regional-scale adaptations to limit the social-ecological impacts of environmental change, while providing economic opportunities and energy independence that reduce their vulnerability to variations in climate.

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Deciphering the impact of change on the driftwood cycle: contribution to the study of human use of wood in the Arctic

Cited by 62 publications

References 25 publications

Determining Initial Firing Temperatures of Thule Era (1000-250 ya) Pottery from Two Northwest Alaskan Archaeological Sites

Determining Initial Firing Temperatures of Thule Era (1000-250 ya) Pottery from Two Northwest Alaskan Archaeological Sites

Fuel exploitation as a factor in Shoshone winter mobility

Integrating local knowledge and science: economic consequences of driftwood harvest in a changing climate

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