The Inglefield Land Archaeology Project: Introduction and Overview

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):279–296, 2010

Archaeological field research was undertaken in northwestern Greenland between 2004 and 2009 by the Inglefield Land Archaeology Project (ILAP). Over 2400 cultural features were recorded during foot survey, with additional sites located during helicopter reconnaissance. Focusing on the late prehistoric to historic transition, excavation of two Thule-Inughuit winter houses and adjacent middens was carried out at Iita, Foulke Fjord, western Inglefield Land, in 2006. Although constructed during the mid-1800s to early 1900s, the structures were dug into early through late Thule and Paleoeskimo deposits. At Cape Grinnell, in central Inglefield Land, three Thule sod-block houses, a Thule fall-winter qarmat, a Thule cache, a Late Dorset axial-feature, and an early Paleoeskimo axial-feature were excavated. Radiocarbon analysis revealed a tight cluster of dates, ca. AD 1200–1420, from the Late Dorset and Thule features. Preliminary analysis suggests near continual occupation of Iita for at least 1000 years. Cape Grinnell appears to have been inhabited, at least periodically since initial migration of Paleoeskimo into the region ca. 4000 years ago, with intensified Late Dorset-early Thule occupation followed by apparent abandonment coincident with the onset of climatic cooling.     

Late glacial and Holocene marine records from the Independence Fjord and Wandel Sea regions, North Greenland

The first marine sediment cores from the unexplored Independence Fjord system and the Wandel Sea, North Greenland, have been investigated to reveal the glacial marine history of the region. Two key sites in the Independence Fjord system, and an earlier analysed site from the Wandel Sea continental slope, off the mouth of Independence Fjord, are presented. The Independence Fjord sites reveal an early Holocene record (10.0–8.9 Kya) of fine-grained reddish muds with calcareous microfossils, dominated by the benthic foraminifera Cassidulina neoteretis . We suggest that a semi-permanent fast ice cover characterized the region in the early Holocene, and that the deeper troughs in the mouth region of the Independence Fjord system were intruded by subsurface Atlantic water. A stiff diamicton, at least 1.3 m thick, with coal and sandstone clasts of mainly local origin, and a 0.5-m-thick Holocene cover, are found in one of the sites. The diamicton is assumed to represent a subglacial till predating the early Holocene sediments (>10 Kya). Shallow seismic records off the mouth of Independence Fjord reveal kilometre-sized troughs with signs of glacial erosion, till deposition and a Holocene glaciomarine deposition. These features could indicate that glacial ice debouching from the Independence Fjord system at some time during the last glacial period extended to the mid-outer Wandel Sea shelf. Data from a high-resolution sediment core previously retrieved from the adjacent Wandel Sea slope indicate that the maximum ice sheet advance in this area culminated about 25–20 Kya.     

土地变化科学模型方法新进展——简评《土地系统变化动力学与效应模拟》(英文)

Land system change has never been out of human concerns. It is always one of the hottest themes in global environmental change research (Seto et al., 2002; Gutman et al.,     

江苏海安青墩地区新石器时代环境考古

通过对海安青墩遗址剖面进行磁化率、粒度、孢粉、14 C测年等指标分析 ,结果表明 ,剖面第 8层至第 7层是一个海退过程 ,同时微体古生物分析表明这两层均无有孔虫 ,可知当时此区域离海较远。第 8层到第 7层气候向暖湿方向转化 ,良好的气候环境条件为后来该区域人类活动的发展创造了条件。测年资料表明第 6层为距今 3790± 10 5 14 CaB .P .,是大暖期后面的一个气候波动和缓的亚稳定暖湿期 ,当时中国绝大部分地区气候要比现今暖湿。剖面的第 3、 4、 5层 ,即 4 0 0 0 14 CaB .P .以来的一个时期 ,该区出现了一洪水泛滥期 ,正是这一洪水期导致该区域人类文明的衰落。     

9.5–2.3 ka BP燕辽地区考古文化演变及其遗址的时空分布（英文）

With basic information from 8353 archaeological sites, this study describes a holistic spatial-temporal distribution pattern of archaeological sites of the prehistoric culture sequence from 9.5 ka BP (ka BP = thousands of years before 0 BP, where "0 BP" is defined as the year AD 1950) to 2.3 ka BP in the region that extends from the Yanshan Mountains to the Liaohe River Plain(i.e., the Yan-Liao region) in northern China. Based on spatial statistics analysis – including the spatial density of the sites and Geographic Information System nearest-neighbour analysis, combined with a review of environmental and climatic data – this paper analyses cultural evolution, the spatial-temporal features of the archaeological sites and human activities against the backdrop of climatic and environmental changes in this region. The results reveal that prehistoric cultural evolution in the Yan-Liao region is extensively influenced by climatic and environmental changes. The Xinglongwa, Zhaobaogou and Fuhe cultures, which primarily developed during a habitable period from 8.5 ka BP to 6.0 ka BP with strong summer monsoons, have similar maximum density values, spatial patterns and subsistence strategies dominated by hunting-gathering. Significant changes occurred in the Hongshan and Lower Xiajiadian cultures, with a significant increase in numbers and densities of sites and a slump in average nearest-neighbour ratio when the environment began to deteriorate starting in 6.0 ka BP. Additionally, with the onset of a weak summer monsoon and the predominance of primitive agriculture, sites of these two cultures present a different type of concentric circle-shaped pattern in space. As the environment continuously deteriorated with increasing aridity and the spread of steppe, more sites were distributed towards the south, and primitive agriculture was replaced by livestock husbandry in the Upper Xiajiadian culture. The most densely populated areas of the studied cultures are centralized within a limited area. The Laohahe River and Jiaolaihe River basins formed the core area in which most archaeological sites were distributed during the strong summer monsoon period and the first few thousand years of the weak summer monsoon period.     

HOLOCENE CARBONATE PRECIPITATES ON PRECAMBRIAN BEDROCK IN THE HIGH ARCTIC: AGE AND POTENTIAL FOR PALAEOCLIMATIC INFORMATION

ABSTRACT. Crusts of white carbonate precipitate occur commonly on the upper surfaces of glacially sculptured Precambrian granites and gneisses in east-central Ellesmere Island. Radiocarbon dating of 21 such carbonate precipitates, from elevations between 50 m and 1050 m a.s.l., has yielded only Holocene ages. Two samples from Ellesmere Island, plus one from Inglefield Land, Greenland, have calibrated ages over 5000 years, the rest are younger. The formation of these deposits, mainly calcite and characterized by unusually heavy δ¹³C ratios (+3.36 to +15.18‰), has apparently been aided in some cases by the presence of bacteria, and some crusts seem to have developed where Ca-bearing minerals are more prevalent. In the case of Bache Peninsula and Cape Herschel, where the carbonate crusts are particularly abundant, the presence of calcareous till may have played a role as well. The carbonate crusts may be related to the presence of small, thin carapace ice caps, when such features formed at lower elevations than those at which they exist today. The more extensive cover of ice and snow is postulated to have existed during the latter, cooler part of the Holocene, especially during the period from 2500 to 100 years ago, deduced as a period of low melt from ice core studies on the Agassiz Ice Cap, 200 km to the north. The existence of carapace ice caps at lower elevations also agrees with the radiocarbon evidence for outlet glacier advances during the last 2000 years on both east and west margins of the Prince of Wales Icefield. Alternatively, the white carbonate crusts may be, to a large degree, the result of weathering processes. In either case they provide minimum ages for the exposed, ice-sculptured rock surfaces on which they occur.     

南极海胆体内的共栖纤毛虫原生动物

研究报道了采自南极威德尔海区海胆体内的三种内共栖纤毛虫,分别隶属于寡膜纲盾纤目和多膜纲寡毛目。文中对所涉各种属的活体形态学特征、纤毛图式和银线系作了研究报道     

Holocene geomorphology,tectonics, and archaeology in Barrancas,arid Central Andes piedmont (33°S)

Archaeology and geomorphology are closely linked in Barrancas, Argentina, where both disciplines are necessary to understand human–environment interactions during the Holocene. The geomorphology suggests that the area was located in a distal alluvial environment of the Zonda paleo-river that drained to the east. Active tectonics during the Pliocene-Early Pleistocene caused the gradual uplift of the Lunlunta Sierras to the southwest, which led to the bifurcation of the paleo-river. For most of the Holocene, the area was seasonally flooded, suggesting a lacustrine microenvironment. A long record of human occupation beginning in the Early Holocene suggests an extended period of intimate human–environment interactions. Recently, the environment has shifted dramatically. Erosion has created a badlands and significantly impacted the archaeological record. Understanding geomorphological processes is central for archaeological research in general, and especially in Barrancas. This research is an integral part of the ongoing community archaeology program in the area, and for the planned creation of an archaeological reserve.     

Zooarchaeological Analysis of a Late Dorset and an Early Thule Dwelling at Cape Grinnell,Northwest Greenland

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):315–336, 2010

Excavations were undertaken at the site of Cape Grinnell, Northwest Greenland, by the Inglefield Land Archaeology Project in 2008. A well-preserved Late Dorset semi-subterranean mid-passage dwelling and an early Thule semi-subterranean sod-block house yielded radiocarbon dates of ca. 700–500 cal. B.P. Faunal remains from both structures had marked differences in species diversity suggesting Late Dorset had a wider diet breadth and made more intensive use of locally available resources than early Thule. Spatial analysis of the house interiors revealed that Late Dorset tended to concentrate carcass processing and discard at the rear of their dwelling and bone burning is minimal. The early Thule processed their food in two main areas: in front of the sleeping platform and on the central paving stones adjacent to the storage alcove. Burned bone was concentrated near the sleeping platform and to a lesser extent on the central paving in front of the entrance. Carnivore gnawing was virtually non-existent in the Late Dorset structure but ubiquitous across the early Thule structure.     

Triassic to Early Jurassic climatic trends recorded in the Jameson Land Basin,East Greenland: clay mineralogy,petrography and heavy mineralogy

During the Early Triassic the Jameson Land Basin (Central East Greenland) was located around 30° N, in the Northern arid belt, but by the Early Jurassic was positioned at a latitude of approximately 50° N. This study examines the record of this transition through a largely continental succession using clay mineralogy, sedimentology, petrography and heavy mineralogy. The Jameson Land Basin is aligned north–south and is 280 km long and 80 km wide. Following an Early Triassic marine phase the basin was filled by predominantly continental sediments. The Early‐to‐Late Triassic succession comprises coarse alluvial clastics (Pingo Dal Formation) overlain by a succession of fine‐grained evaporite‐rich playa/lacustrine sediments (Gipsdalen Formation), indicative of arid climatic conditions. The overlying buff, dolomitic and then red lacustrine mudstones with subordinate sandstones (Fleming Fjord Formation) record reduced aridity. The uppermost Triassic grades into dark organic‐rich, and in places coaly, mudstones and buff coarse‐grained sandstones of lacustrine origin that belong to the Kap Stewart Group, which spans the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, and appear to record more humid climatic conditions. Clay mineralogy analyses highlight significant variations in the kaolinite/illite ratio, from both mudstone and sandstone samples, through the Triassic and into the earliest Jurassic. Complementary heavy mineral analyses demonstrate that the variations recognised in clay mineralogy and sandstone maturity through the Triassic–Early Jurassic succession are not a product of major provenance change or the effect of significant diagenetic alteration. The observed variations are consistent with sedimentological evidence for a long‐term trend towards more humid conditions through the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, and the suggestion of a significant pluvial episode in the mid‐Carnian.     

西安地区(380-1983年)旱涝气候变化

依据历史记载,采用最优分割法、功率谱分析及谐波分析等方法,建立西安(古长安)地区近1604年的旱涝指数气候序列,探讨该地区旱涝气候特征及旱涝变化规律,并与相邻地区作了对比.     

In search of Thule children: Construction of playing houses as a means of socializing children

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):201–214, 2010

During the last decade, the subject of the individual agent and the conveyance of knowledge have become essential concerns in prehistoric archaeology. However, children are often entirely absent or passive in archaeological interpretation when considering their participation in a variety of economic or social tasks. This paper examines the miniature playhouse structures of Thule children that date from the pre-contact Thule period of approximately 1400–1800 AD. Implemented during the 2008field season, the study explored the region of Wollaston Forland in Northeast Greenland. Previous research suggested the arrangement of these features most likely referenced superstitious or spiritual activity. However, this study reveals the concept and organization of these features in the landscape, and offers insight into specifically arranged constructions that depict miniature versions of Thule houses.     

Holocene environmental changes around Xiaohe Cemetery and its effects on human occupation,Xinjiang, China

The Xiaohe Cemetery archaeological site (Cal. 4–3.5 ka BP) is one of the most important Bronze Age sites in Xinjiang, China. Although the surrounding environment is an extremely arid desert now, abundant archaeological remains indicate that human occupation was common during certain periods in the Holocene. Field investigations and laboratory analyses of a sediment profile near the Xiaohe Cemetery indicate that while the regional environment was arid desert throughout the Holocene there were three episodes of lake formation near the site in the periods 4.8–3.5 ka BP, 2.6–2.1 ka BP and 1.2–0.9 ka BP. Geomorphic and hydrological investigations reveal that a lake or lakes formed in a low-lying area when water was derived initially from the Kongque River and then shunted into the Xiaohe River basin. Low amounts of active chemical elements in lacustrine sediment between 4.8–3.5 ka BP indicate abundant and continuous water volume in the lake; the content of active chemical elements increased between 2.6–2.1 ka BP but was still at a relatively low level, suggesting a declining amount of water and diminished inflow. Between 1.2–0.9 ka BP there was a very high content of active elements, suggesting decreased water volume and indicating that the lake was stagnate. In contrast, the general climate condition shows that there had a warm-humid stage at 8–6 ka BP, a cool-humid stage at 6–2.9 ka BP and a warm-dry stage at 2.9–0.9 ka BP in this region. The hydrological evolutions around Xiaohe Cemetery did not have one-to-one correspondence with climate changes. Regional comparison indicates that broad-scale climatic conditions played an important role through its influences on the water volume of the Tarim River and Kongque River. But, the formation of the lakes and their level were controlled by geomorphic conditions that influenced how much water volume could be shunted to Xiaohe River from Kongque River. Human occupation of the Xiaohe Cemetery and nearby regions during the Bronze Age and Han-Jin period (202 BC–420 AD) corresponded to the two earlier lake periods, while no human activities existed in the third lake period because of the decreased water volume.     

An analysis of oasis evolution based on land use and land cover change: A case study in the Sangong River Basin on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains

This study investigated oasis evolution and the changes of peripheral desert in the Sangong River Basin since the 1950s by rebuilding seven land cover maps derived from black-and-white aerial photographs (1958, 1968, and 1978), a color-infrared aerial photograph (1987), Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery (1998), Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT) imagery (2004), and Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI) imagery (2014). The results showed that: (1) Since 1950, the oasis consecutively expanded more than four times from an alluvial fan to an alluvial plain, causing the shrinkage of desert landscapes that were dominated by a Haloxylon ammodendron Bunge community (HBC) and a Tamarix chinensis Lour community (TLC). Furthermore, the primary (1958–1968) and final (2004–2014) stages were the most important periods, during which agricultural land experienced the most rapid expansion during the period 1958–1968, and the built-up area showed the most rapid expansion after the 2000s. (2) Two basic management modes, a “local mode” formed by the local governments and a “farm management mode” developed by Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, together promoted oasis evolution under various land-use and landcover (LULC) stages. (3) The evolution of the modern oasis during the 1950s–2004 showed the general features of an arid oasis, while during the period of 2004–2014 it was characterized by a large-scale inter-basin water diversion or the import of new water sources. (4) The oasis expanded at the expense of desert vegetation, resulting in distinct variation in the structure of the desert plant community, which will make it more difficult to protect the desert ecosystem.     

Census of breeding seabirds on the northwest coast of Svalbard 1973 and 1978

The western coast of Svalbard is one of the world's most important seabird regions (Belopol'skij 1961; Løvenskiold 1964; Norderhaug et al. 1977), due to the favourable water temperatures, light regime and amounts of mineral salts (Norderhaug et al. 1977).
Seabirds have been censused several times in this area (Kristoffersen 1962; Larsen 1965; Dhondt et al.1969; Voisin 1970; Norderhaug 1974; Sendstad 1978; Alendal et al. 1982).
Except for Larsen (1965), there is no comprehensive and quantitative survey of any part of northwestern Svalbard. Further east, Jepsen & Mobæk (1983) surveyed the area between Gråhuken and Nordaustìandet.
Recent concern about the potentially detrimental effects of planned oil exploration and increased human activities in the high Arctic has emphasized the need for more information on the ecology in these regions. This paper provides more comprehensive data on seabird populations in northwestern Svalbard, between southern Prins Karls Forland and Verlegenhuken. The results supplement the studies carried out in 1978 and 1979 by Jepsen & Mobæk (1983) between Verlegenhuken and Kong Karls Land.     

Effects of large floods on sediment transport and reach morphology in the cobble-bed Sainte Marguerite River

Sediment transport rates were estimated for two flood events on the cobble-bed Sainte Marguerite River in the Saguenay region, Canada. Morphologic methods were used to derive one set of estimates, and a combination of the Meyer-Peter and Muller equation with a dimensionless sediment transport ratio (after Dietrich et al. [Nature 340 (1989) 215]) was used to derive another set of estimates. Both sets of estimates give consistent results for the first event (which had a decade-scale return period), and for the second event (which was the largest flood on record and had a century-scale return period). The transport occurring during the second event was an order of magnitude greater than that occurring during the first event: despite this disparity in the transport intensity of the two events, the channel morphology remained qualitatively similar. The observed degree of channel stability is attributed to a change of channel pattern and the initiation of bed degradation following channel rectification in the 1960s.     

Report on species of Gyrodactylus Nordmann, 1832, distribution in polar regions

The aim of this study was to compare the Gyrodactylus fauna in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Fish were collected from waters surrounding the South Shetland Islands in the Antarctic and from the Revelva River and Hornsund Fjord in south Spitsbergen in the Arctic. Eighty-two individual fish representing seven species from three families (Channichthyidae, Harpagiferidae, and Nototheniidae) were found in Antarctica and 2 Gyrodactylus infections with altogether 95 specimens were reported. Two new species were identified: Gyrodactylus sp. 1 Rokicka et al., 2009, from the gills of the black rock cod, Notothenia coriiceps Richardson, 1844, and Gyrodactylus sp. 2 Rokicka et al., 2009, from the gills of the gaudy notothen, Lepidonotothen nudifrons Lönnberg, 1905. No Gyrodactylus were found in the 95 Arctic fish examined, which represented four species from four families (Salmonidae, Gadidae, Cottidae, and Liparidae).     

Land Reclamation in the Farming–Grazing Transitional Zone of Northeast China: 1644–1930

Using land reclamation information from gazetteers and corresponding historical records as further evidence, we extracted information about land reclamation in the early years of reclamation (at the “beginning date”) and during the climax period (the maximum extent). We analyzed land reclamation processes in the farming–grazing transitional zone in northeast China during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). Among thirty-seven counties for which the beginning date of land reclamation was recorded, 32 percent began reclamation early, primarily between the Shunzhi (1644–1661) and the Kangxi reigns (1662–1722), 19 percent were exploited during the Yongzheng reign (1723–1735), and 19 percent were exploited during the Guangxu reign (1875–1908). Among forty-six counties for which the maximum extent of land reclamation was recorded, the counties of Fengning, Longhua, and Longjiang were extensively exploited before 1800. From 1800 to 1860, four counties were extensively exploited, including Changtu County, Horqin Left Wing and Behind Banner, Horqin Left Wing and Middle Banner, and Shangyi County. Most counties were extensively exploited after 1860. Land reclamation was usually carried out by Han farmers, who were either recruited by Mongol landowners or were fleeing famine. Extensive land reclamation in the majority of counties was conducted during the Guangxu reign (1875–1908) in the late Qing Dynasty, when the Qing government implemented the policy of promoting Han migration to strengthen its hold on the frontier by distributing land.     

Comments on‘Heimdall's Stones at Vitemölla in SE Sweden and the Chronology and Stratigraphy of the Surroundings’byMörneret al. (2009)

Mörner, N.‐A. and Lind, B., 2011. Reply: Comments on ‘Heimdall's stones at Vitemölla in SE Sweden and the chronology and stratigraphy of the surroundings’ by Mörner et al. (2009). Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 93, 197–199. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468‐0459.2011.00429.x     

THE A.D. 1300 EVENT IN THE PACIFIC BASIN*

ABSTRACT. Around a.d. 1300 the entire Pacific Basin (continental Pacific Rim and oceanic Pacific Islands) was affected by comparatively rapid cooling and sea‐level fall, and possibly increased storminess, that caused massive and enduring changes to Pacific environments and societies. For most Pacific societies, adapted to the warmer, drier, and more stable climates of the preceding Medieval Climate Anomaly (a.d. 750–1250), the effects of this A.D. 1300 Event were profoundly disruptive, largely because of the reduction in food resources available in coastal zones attributable to the 70–80‐centimeter sea‐level fall. This disruption was manifested by the outbreak of persistent conflict, shifts in settlements from coasts to refugia inland or on unoccupied offshore islands, changes in subsistence strategies, and an abrupt end to long‐distance cross‐ocean interaction during the ensuing Little Ice Age (a.d. 1350–1800). The A.D. 1300 Event provides a good example of the disruptive potential for human societies of abrupt, short‐lived climate changes.