A5079771035- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Archaeology and Natural History
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond
- Tree-ring climate responses
- Latin American history and culture
- Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Research Data Management Practices
- Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Climate Change and Environmental Impact
- demographic modeling and climate adaptation
- Scientific Computing and Data Management
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Climate Change Policy and Economics
- Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction
- Hydrology and Drought Analysis
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Ecology and biodiversity studies
- Forensic and Genetic Research
- Climate variability and models
- Distributed and Parallel Computing Systems
University of Montana
2018-2025
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
2016-2024
Washington State University
2011-2018
Cornell University
2016
Albany State University
2016
University at Albany, State University of New York
2016
By documenting how humans adapted to changes in their environment that are often much greater than those experienced the instrumental record, archaeology provides our only deep-time laboratory for highlighting circumstances under which managed or failed find adaptive solutions changing climate, not just over a few generations but longue durée . Patterning between climate-mediated environmental change and human societies has, however, been murky because of low spatial temporal resolution...
The consequences of climate change vary over space and time. Effective studies human responses to climatically induced environmental must therefore sample the diversity experienced by specific societies. We reconstruct population histories from A.D. 600 1280 in six environmentally distinct portions central Mesa Verde region southwestern Colorado, relating these climate-driven changes agricultural potential. In all but one subregion, increases maize-niche size led size. Maize-niche is also...
Scientific workflow management systems offer features for composing complex computational pipelines from modular building blocks, executing the resulting automated workflows, and recording provenance of data products runs. Despite advantages such provide, many workflows continue to be implemented executed outside scientific due convenience familiarity scripting languages (such as Perl, Python, R, MATLAB), high productivity scientists experience when using these languages. YesWorkflow is a...
Abstract Archaeologists increasingly use large radiocarbon databases to model prehistoric human demography (also termed paleo-demography). Numerous independent projects, funded over the past decade, have assembled such from multiple regions of world. These data provide unprecedented potential for comparative research on population ecology and evolution social-ecological systems across Earth. However, these been developed using different sample selection criteria, which has resulted in...
Abstract Despite the acceleration of climate change, erroneous assumptions stationarity are still inculcated in management water resources United States (US). The US system for drought detection, which triggers billions dollars emergency resources, adheres to this assumption with preference towards 60-year (or longer) record lengths characterization. Using observed data from 1,934 Global Historical Climate Network (GHCN) sites across US, we show that conclusions based on long records can...
In archaeology, we are accustomed to investing great effort into collecting data from fieldwork, museum collections, and other sources, followed by detailed description, rigorous analysis, in many cases ending with publication of our findings short, highly concentrated reports or journal articles. Very often, these publications all that is visible this lengthy process, even then, most articles only accessible scholars at institutions paying subscription fees the publishers. While traditional...
Climate change can rapidly undermine ritual mechanisms that enhance social consensus, as shown for the Pueblo Southwest.
Agrarian societies reduced risk during pan-Asian cooling events by investing in pastoralism and developing long-distance trade.
The timing and mechanics of the spread agriculture to Tibetan Plateau—one most challenging environmental contexts on earth—is a focus recent work debate. Understanding is basic archaeology history worldwide. Researchers seek evidence for earliest, furthest, or highest occurrences diagnostic elements. However, Plateau case illustrates key flaw in current work: archaeologists have often uncritically interpreted presence plant domesticates at archaeological sites as being indicative local...
Abstract The turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) was independently domesticated in Mesoamerica and the Southwest, latter as only case of Native American animal domestication north Mexico. In upland (non-desert) portion distinctive closely related mtDNA lineages belonging to haplogroup H1 (thought indicate domestication) occur from ca. 1 A.D. (Basketmaker II period) through early historic times. At many sites, low frequencies H2 also occur, apparently derived local Merriam’s subspecies. We report...
Significance Collapse of civilizations remains one the most enigmatic phenomena in human history. In this paper we provide quantitative evidence that loss resilience systematically preceded collapses. We take advantage unique time series documenting both construction activity and climate conditions for pre-Columbian societies southwestern United States on an annual basis over a period eight centuries. These data cover five transformations encompassing shifts to novel constellations beliefs,...
We present an agent-based model for voluntaristic processes allowing the emergence of leadership in small-scale societies, parameterized to apply Pueblo societies northern US Southwest between AD 600 and 1300. embed evolutionary public-goods game a spatial simulation household activities which agents, representing households, decide where farm, hunt, locate their residences. Leaders, through work monitoring group members punishing defectors, can increase likelihood that will cooperate...
Moving crops outside of their original centers domestication was sometimes a challenging process. Because its substantial heat requirements, moving rice agriculture homelands not an easy process for farmers in the past. Using crop niche models, we examine constraints faced by ancient and foragers as they moved to most northerly extent Ancient China: Shandong province. Contrary previous arguments, find that during climatic optimum could have been grown region. Climatic cooling following this...
Temperature variability likely played an important role in determining the spread and productive potential of North America’s key prehispanic agricultural staple, maize. The United States Southwest (SWUS) also served as gateway for maize to reach portions America north east. Existing temperature reconstructions SWUS are typically low spatial or temporal resolution, shallow time depth, subject unknown degrees insensitivity low-frequency variability, hindering accurate determination...
Abstract Accurate drought assessments are critical for mitigating the deleterious impacts of water scarcity on communities across world. In many regions, deficits in soil moisture represent a key driver conditions. However, relationships between and widely used indicators have not been thoroughly evaluated. addition, there has an in‐depth assessment accuracy operational models monitoring. Here, we 2,405 observed time series from 637 long‐term monitoring stations conterminous United States to...
Abstract Drought is a period of abnormally dry weather that leads to hydrological imbalance. assessments determine the characteristics, severity, and impacts drought. Climate change adds conceptual quantitative challenges traditional drought assessments. This paper highlights assessing in climate made non‐stationary by human activities or natural variability. To address these challenges, we then identify 10 key research priorities for advancing science improving changing climate. The focus...
The degree to which prehispanic societies in the northern upland Southwest were hierarchical or egalitarian is still debated and seems likely have changed through time. This paper examines plausibility of village-spanning polities by simulating coevolution hierarchy warfare using extensions Village Ecodynamics Project's agent-based model. We additionally compile empirical data on population size distribution habitations ritual spaces (kivas) social groups that used them three large regions...
Archaeologists and demographers increasingly employ aggregations of published radiocarbon (14C) dates as demographic proxies summarizing changes in human activity past societies. Presently, summed probability densities (SPDs) calibrated are the dominant method using 14C to reconstruct trends. Unfortunately, SPDs incapable converging on distribution that generated a set measurements, even when number observations is large. To overcome this problem, we propose more principled alternative...
Abstract Phenomenological archaeologists and GIS scholars have turned much attention to visibility—who can see whom, what be seen—across ancient landscapes. Visible connections relatively easy identify, but they present challenges interpretation. Ancient peoples created intervisible among sites for purposes that included surveillance, defense, symbolism, shared identity, communication. In the American Southwest, many high places are by virtue of elevated topography open skies. The Chaco...
The dispersal of rice (Oryza sativa) following domestication influenced massive social and cultural changes across South, East, Southeast (SE) Asia. history islands SE Asia, the role Taiwan Austronesian expansion in this process remain largely unresolved. Here, we reconstructed routes O. sativa ssp. japonica to northern Philippines using whole-genome resequencing indigenous landraces coupled with archaeological paleoclimate data. Our results indicate that found diverged from Indonesian as...