Affiliation:
1. School of Computing and Department of Anthropology University of Wyoming Laramie WY USA
2. Department of Anthropology University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IN USA
Abstract
ABSTRACTPeriods of acute climate stress – the convergence of low subsistence yields due to poor climate conditions and ineffective buffering strategies due to climate variability – critically reduces peoples’ ability to subsist and mitigate food shortages, thereby creating conditions that could result in profound social change. Here, paleoclimate reconstructions are used to identify periods of acute stress at three large Ancestral Pueblo villages in the US Southwest. These periods are examined in relation to occupation histories at each village showing that in certain instances, acute climate stress played a primary role in people's decisions to leave communities. However, not all of the communities reacted to stress in the same way indicating that distinct patterns of climate and social context played an important role in influencing how acute climate stress was experienced by different groups. Results from this study highlight the importance of community‐specific histories when considering the impact of climate stress on past people.
Funder
National Park Service
University of Notre Dame
National Geographic Society
National Science Foundation
Subject
Paleontology,Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous),Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)