Faunal Remains from the Wollaston Forland—Clavering Ø Region,Northeast Greenland—Thule Culture Subsistence in a High Arctic Polynya and Ice-edge Habitat

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):175–200, 2010

The GeoArk project conducted interdisciplinary studies between 2003 and 2008 to investigate the Thule culture (c. 1400 AD until c. 1850 AD) in the Wollaston Forland- Clavering Ø region (74°N). Faunal remains of recent excavations and re-analyses of previous excavations of Thule culture seasonal features, winter houses and middens are presented, with an emphasis on the two winter sites of Fladstrand and Dødemandsbugten. The faunal assemblages showed ringed seal (Phoca hispida) to be the key game species, although, with important contingents of narwhal (Monodon monocerosj and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) Thule subsistence was highly dependent on having a well developed procurement system and the sea- and landscape was used differentially during the annual cycle. Hvalros Ø, located at the recurring Sirius Water Polynya, was used as a seasonal aggregation site especially for hunting walrus (Odobenus rosmarusj) throughout the entire Thule culture era. Being a predictable source of meat and blubber, the walrus was of fundamental importance to the Thule Inuit in order to cope with a harsh high arctic environment. The site locations of the study area revealed a continued similar usage of the sea- and landscape for centuries and the analyses documented only minor temporal changes in subsistence patterns.     

Ecological influences of Thule Inuit whalers on high Arctic pond ecosystems: a comparative paleolimnological study from Bathurst Island (Nunavut,Canada)

Until recently, major anthropogenic impacts on freshwater ecosystems were believed to be rare in North America prior to the period of European colonization. However, recent paleolimnological and archaeological data collected from the Canadian Arctic suggest that the whaling activities of Thule Inuit, who lived in small, nomadic communities, altered freshwater ecosystems centuries earlier. Using a comparative paleolimnological approach from two ponds situated adjacent to a former Thule winter settlement on south-eastern Bathurst Island (Nunavut, Arctic Canada), we record marked ecological changes in pond ecology due to eutrophication from the Thule’s activities. The geography of our study site provided an interesting and rare opportunity for a comparative paleolimnological study of long-term Thule impacts on polar limnology, because our two study ponds (only ~50 m apart) were nearly identical in size and in geological and climatic settings, but differed markedly in the magnitude of Thule influence. Here, we recorded striking changes in diatom species assemblages, spectrally-inferred primary production, and nutrient geochemistry, indicating eutrophication in a small pond draining 18 Thule whale houses. Input of marine-derived nutrients from sea mammal carcasses used by the Thule for both sustenance and the construction of winter settlements, as well as other anthropogenic activities, coincided with a notable increase in the eutrophic diatom taxon Stephanodiscus minutulus, whereas no comparable changes were recorded in the nearby control pond for the duration of the sedimentary record. Although the diatom changes recorded in the affected site persisted after the period of Thule occupation, the most recent sediments and water chemistry suggest that the pond has largely recovered to near pre-impact conditions.     

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.     

Thule Fishing Revisited: The Economic Importance of Fish at the Pembroke and Bell Sites,Victoria Island,Nunavut

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):261–278, 2010

In a comprehensive overview of evidence for fishing in the Thule period of the eastern North American Arctic, Whitridge (2001) noted that fish bones are either extremely rare or absent in archaeofaunal samples, despite the fact that artifact assemblages typically contain a variety of fishing implements. In this paper, we present new faunal data from two sites on southeastern Victoria Island, Nunavut, which offer a marked contrast to this pattern. The Pembroke site, located just north of Cambridge Bay, is a small Thule site probably occupied during an early migration into the region. The Bell site, located on the Ekalluk River, is a more substantial site, occupied for a much longer duration during the Thule period. These sites are located in areas devoid of many taxa preferred by Thule peoples, which led the sites' occupants to rely on caribou and fish for much of their winter subsistence. At the Bell site, storage of caribou and fish was critical for winter survival. However, the occupants of the Pembroke site appear to have been unable to acquire sufficient stores during the fall, and therefore relied on fishing through the ice during winter to supplement their inadequate stores. Although both sites indicate a more important economic role for fish than has been recorded on any other eastern Arctic Thule winter site, the use of fish at the two sites differs markedly, adding nuance to archaeologically known Thule subsistence patterns.     

Landscape regularities of human colonization of the Tuva territory in the Scythian time (8<Superscript>th</Superscript>–3<Superscript>rd</Superscript> centuries B. C.)

We discuss the issues related to the human colonization of the Tuva landscapes in the Scythian time. An analysis is made of the spatial and landscape confinedness of archaeological sites having regard to the Late-Holocene rhythms of climate change in the mountains. For the historical-landscape analysis the MapInfo 12.0 GIS technologies were used in compiling the landscape map of the Tyva Republic, the scheme of physical-geographical regionalization and the schematic map of spatial distribution of archaeological sites from the Scythian time. The then most developed landscapes include the steppe mountain-valley and forest-steppe low- and mid-mountain landscapes, which was associated with the main economic sector, namely nomadic stockbreeding. The culture of the Scythian time existed under a colder and more humid climate than at present. An increase in humidity in originally dry areas led to an increase in steppe vegetation productivity growing in depressions and on slopes of mountain ranges. These factors created favorable conditions for the development of nomadic stockbreeding. A spatial analysis of the distribution of archaeological sites in the physical-geographical provinces of Tuva intimates that depression landscapes were colonized mostly in the Scythian time. The Tuvinian depression province (the archaeologically richest area of Tuva) and the Ubsunur depression account for 52 and 21% of the sites, respectively. The mountain landscapes were colonized to a considerably lesser extent; the largest number of sites are located in the Western-Tuva mountain province. In the Scythian time, the cores of development of the Tuva territory were represented by the intermontane depressions (Tuvinian and Ubsunur), the connections between which were provided by a small number of large valleys and mountain passes.     

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.     

Coastal environments around Thule settlements in Northeast Greenland

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):143–154, 2010

Inuit have travelled to and settled in the coastal landscapes of Northeast Greenland for several longer periods during the latest ca. 4500 years. Most recently the Thule culture Inuit lived in the region from around 1400 until 1850 AD. The access to partly and periodically ice covered near coastal waters has been crucial to the primarily marine based subsistence strategy of the Thule Inuit culture, and their settlements are therefore found immediately at the coast. Changing geological and geomorphologic settings strongly influence the coastal morphodynamics, and only specific locations offer stable and protected conditions needed for proper winter settlements. The comprehensive study of coastal environments and Thule culture winter settlements in the Young Sound region show an accumulation of winter settlements, nearly all located either in protected pocket beaches or on stable basalt capes. The Thule culture abandoned Northeast Greenland about 1850 AD, and apart from settlements on basalt capes, most of the winter settlement sites in pocket beach areas have been affected by erosion of local character and in some cases also affected by increasing wave erosion during recent periods of less ice in near coastal waters.     

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.     

Dynamic Inuit Social Strategies in Changing Environments: A Long-Term Perspective

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):215–225, 2010

This paper presents an overview of the International Polar Year (IPY) research programme Dynamic Inuit Social Strategies in Changing Environments: A Long-Term Perspective. For this project, research teams from six separate multi-year subprojects performed fieldwork across much of the Canadian Arctic. Fieldwork and analysis revolved around two primary processes critical to the understanding of Inuit history: first, is the migration from Alaska to the east by the earliest Inuit, known as ‘Thule’, an apparently rapid event which replaced populations of the earlier, and culturally very different Dorset tradition; second, is the transformation of Thule Inuit into their more diverse recent cultural forms, involving abandonment of some regions, combined with major changes in settlement patterns, artifact form, architecture, economy, and social organization. The ultimate goal of the project is to understand the variable roles of climate change and social structures on the culture change which can be observed during the past 800 years of Inuit history.     

基于GRA和TOPSIS模型的都市郊区乡村景观多功能定位

乡村景观功能具有明显的时空异质性。随着中国城镇化、工业化和农业现代化的快速推进,乡村景观功能分异化和多样化不断增强,景观多功能发展趋势明显,对其科学定位成为新的学术热点。以上海市城郊青浦区为例,利用2004-2014年的基础数据,采用多维评价模型、灰色关联分析和逼近理想解的排序法,以“乡村景观多功能性定位—主副功能定位—障碍功能定位”的景观多功能综合定位方式,实现对该区乡村景观多功能科学定位。结果表明：① 乡村景观多功能定位作为区域功能确定的有限方案多目标最优决策,应遵循最优决策法则;② 景观多功能综合定位方法能对该区乡村景观多功能科学定位,适用性较好;③ 该区乡村景观多功能复合显著,乡村景观多功能性东西差异明显、极值区域凸显且呈现集聚状态,主副功能和主副障碍功能空间异质性强且功能间依存度高;其中,乡村景观多功能性最大值区域为赵巷镇和朱家角镇,其值分别为3.44和3.02,低值区域为金泽镇和徐泾镇,其值分别为1.48和1.45;11个乡镇的主导功能和副功能均差为0.007,主副障碍功能均差为0.005。该研究以期为将来开展乡村景观规划与景观管理研究提供科学依据。     

基于改进景观扩张指数苏锡常地区城镇扩展空间形态变化

针对目前景观扩张指数计算存在的问题,提出一种改进计算景观扩张指数的方法用于动态分析城镇空间形态变化特征。将景观格局的3 种增长模式:填充式、边缘式和飞地式分别表示为3 种拓扑关系:包含、相交及相离关系,通过判断新增城镇建设用地斑块之间的拓扑关系计算景观格局扩张的各项指数,据此对苏锡常地区1985~2008 年各阶段城镇扩展空间形态变化进行分析。从总体景观扩张模式的变化来看,苏锡常地区建设用地增长方式以边缘式的紧凑增长为主;从增长形态的空间位置来看,各市市区和各镇行政中心的增长形态基本可以归纳为以边缘式增长为主的紧凑增长形态,普通城镇则可能是紧凑增长形态或者蔓延增长形态。计算结果表明,改进的景观扩张指数方法能够动态的反映苏锡常地区城镇用地空间格局形态变化过程。进一步计算反映城镇用地分形特征的盒子维数作对比分析,从计算结果来看,随着时间推移苏锡常地区城镇用地分维数值逐渐增加,从1985 年的1.220 增加到2008 年的1.504,但增长幅度不大,说明城镇空间格局始终处于集中和均衡之间;而景观扩张指数计算结果反映,从1995 年飞地式增长模式的数量和分布开始增加之后,给城镇发展的主导的紧凑模式带来了扰动,这种扩散式的增长导致各城镇扩张的结果在空间形态上出现与总体趋势分异的现象。新建设用地的增长点引起了城镇空间结构的变化,这种发展增加了城镇空间形态的随机性和结构的不稳定性,这个结果可以作为前述盒子维数计算结果的补充,说明景观扩张指数可以解释分形这种形态结果的空间变化过程;并且通过计算景观扩张指数,决策者可以了解城镇扩展空间形态的变化趋势,从而从宏观上控制城镇的无序蔓延。     

景观演化特征指数及其应用

随着中国城市化建设的快速推进,城市蔓延式增长和生态空间持续性萎缩成为普遍的现象,以地表硬化为主要特征的城市景观格局变化得到广泛关注,而景观扩张指数(Landscape Expansion Index, LEI)是测度这一现象的重要工具。但在新型城镇化背景下,由于大城市空间结构调整优化以及城市绿化率的提高,硬化地景观的收缩与消亡已成为城市景观演变的另一重要形式,因此亟需新的有效手段来刻画城市发展的新特征。在此背景下,本文在LEI指数的基础上,提出景观演化特征指数(Landscape Evolution Characteristic Index, LECI),尝试综合描述城镇化过程中硬化地景观斑块扩张与收缩的动态特征;并基于邻域特征计算的景观演化特征指数,包括景观演化模式识别指数(Landscape Evolution Pattern Index, LEPI)和景观演化规模指数(Landscape Evolution Area Index, LEAI),协同分析两个或多个时相景观格局演变过程中的斑块新生与消亡。本文将LECI指数应用于武汉都市发展区1990-2010年期间的城市硬化地景观演变过程中,与基于最小包围盒的景观扩张指数(LEI)对比分析,结果表明：①LEPI能准确识别不同规模和形状斑块的空间扩张模式,LEAI能够较好反映斑块扩张强度并表征景观扩张方向;②LEPI能有效识别城市景观演变中消亡斑块的湮灭模式,研究区内硬化地景观消亡现象明显加剧,可能与政府加强城市内部改造及绿化建设有关;③LECI指数变化分析发现,武汉都市发展区研究期内的城市景观扩张强度有所放缓,飞地式和边缘式空间增长构成斑块演变的主体,城市硬化地景观扩张模式在空间上呈现明显的梯度分异规律,随距主城区的远近呈现填充式/包围式、边缘式/邻接式到飞地式/孤立式的演替。     

Hacked Landscapes: Tensions,Borders, and Positionality in Spatial Literacy

By focusing on critical geographies, landscape, and spatial literacy, this article evaluates a semester-long spatial justice project conducted in a preservice teacher education program. The analysis recognizes the limitations of reading the products literally as a means of comprehending spatial representation. It expands the analysis by hacking the products and producing new landscapes to read against or up against the products as sociospatial texts. It considers the deployment of landscape concepts—borders, the representation of tension, and the gaze and subjectivity of the reader-authors—as central elements of spatial literacy that is of consequence.     

番禺区土地覆被及其景观格局时空特征分析

基于覆盖番禺区域4个时相的TM遥感影像,综合运用遥感与G IS技术手段,结合FRAGSTATS景观格局分析软件,从数量结构、空间信息及位置转移和景观指数等方面,分析了番禺区土地覆被与景观格局的动态特征。数量结构分析结果显示,城市化过程中番禺区的耕地、园地、林地等自然资源利用程度在加大,自2000年起,这种变化的趋势开始减缓;番禺区土地覆被各类型之间频繁地发生数量与空间位置的变化,空间位置转换面积大于其数量变化面积,而且集中发生在邻近广州市中心城区的西北地区及南沙区;景观指数分析表明,番禺区土地覆被向破碎化方向发展,景观格局动态变化迅速。     

Spatio-temporal differentiation of landscape ecological niche in western ecological frangible region: A case study of Yan’an region in northwestern China

In this study, we attempt to put forward a conception of landscape ecological niche, enlightened by international scholars on extending the ecological niche theory from spatial niche to functional niche. That is helpful for comprehensively appraising landscape spatial patterns and ecological functions, also, presents a new method for analyzing landscape fea-tures from multidimensional aspects. The practice process is demonstrated by taking Yan’an region in northwestern China as a case. Firstly, the indices system including spatial attribute and functional attribute is established for assessing landscape ecological niche. Additionally, two-dimensional figures are drawn for comparing the spatio-temporal features of landscape ecological niche in 1987 and 2000 among the 13 administrative counties. The results show that from 1987 to 2000, towards Yan’an region, spatial attribute value of landscape ecological niche changes from 1.000 to 1.178 with an obvious increment, and functional attribute value changes from 0.989 to 1.069 with a little increment, both of which enhance the regional landscape ecological niche. Towards each county, spatial attribute value of landscape eco-logical niche increases to different extent while functional attribute value changes dissimilarly with an increment or a decrement.     

基于POI数据的山西省旅游景区分类及空间分布特征

运用大数据与传统地理信息系统相结合的方式,以山西旅游景区POI(Point of Interest)数据为研究对象,对其进行分类后,研究其总体空间分布格局、分布方向以及具体地市空间分布特征.结果 表明:山西旅游景区总体分布格局呈现晋中地区集聚特征,具体各类旅游景区的集聚形态与程度有所差异.其中,地文景观类旅游景区集聚于...     

Spatio-temporal differentiation of landscape ecological niche in western ecological frangible region： A case study of Yan＇an region in northwestern China

In this study, we attempt to put forward a conception of landscape ecological niche, enlightened by international scholars on extending the ecological niche theory from spatial niche to functional niche. That is helpful for comprehensively appraising landscape spatial patterns and ecological functions, also, presents a new method for analyzing landscape features from multidimensional aspects. The practice process is demonstrated by taking Yan＇an region in northwestern China as a case. Firstly, the indices system including spatial attribute and functional attribute is established for assessing landscape ecological niche. Additionally, two-dimensional figures are drawn for comparing the spatio-temporal features of landscape ecological niche in 1987 and 2000 among the 13 administrative counties. The results show that from 1987 to 2000, towards Yan＇an region, spatial attribute value of landscape ecological niche changes from 1.000 to 1.178 with an obvious increment, and functional attribute value changes from 0.989 to 1.069 with a little increment, both of which enhance the regional landscape ecological niche. Towards each county, spatial attribute value of landscape ecological niche increases to different extent while functional attribute value changes dissimilarly with an increment or a decrement.     

基于户籍比较的特大城市住宅价格时空分异研究——以长沙市为例

为揭示中国特大城市住房市场中,不同购房群体在住房价格空间特征上的差异,论文对购房人群的户籍归属地进行划分,以“本地—外来”的视角分别刻画了长沙本地与外来(长沙户籍与非长沙户籍)2类购房者房价格局的时空演进。采取动态空间滞后特征模型(STAR-Hedonic)分析了区位、景观、邻里等因素对2类购房者房价的影响。研究发现：(1)长沙外来购房者房价梯度下降更快,空间更平滑。(2)长沙房价空间一江两岸双中心的总体格局逐步成型。传统CBD五一广场对城市房价的重要性在下降,但是对本地人房价梯度和价格弹性程度维持较高水平,副中心梅溪湖新城对外来人群房价的影响因子的提升幅度更大。(3)外来购房者对住宅品质和邻近配套有更高的支付倾向。(4)楼市的繁荣期和调控期,周边交易价格对2类购房者的影响程度不同。论文从功能需求、主观因素、政策区别和经济动机4个方面探究了2类购房者房价空间分异的成因。在“房住不炒”背景下,关注不同人群房价空间演进和影响因素的变化趋势,有助于特大城市房地产市场“精准调控”的实施。     

Exploring a combination of objective and subjective assessment in landscape classification: Side case from Turkey

Landscape is a product of interactions between human and nature that bring multiple characteristics to discrete geographic settings. Landscape character assessment (LCA) is a process of describing, mapping and evaluating distinct characters in the landscape. The aim of this study is to integrate objective and subjective assessment in landscape classification in the case of Side district in Antalya, Turkey. The methodology of the study is based on a holistic approach to combine map-based biophysical information and on-site visual landscape characteristics into the LCA process. Principal component and cluster analysis were used to understand relationships and spatial patterns between 29 landscape character areas and types which were previously defined by previous work. The main source of data was landscape characters, and 35 character attributes was processed as variables. Cluster analysis showed that landscape character areas and types in Side were gathered into two main cluster groups and five sub clusters. The majority of landscape character areas tended to constitute separate subclusters, while character types appeared to form large groups of clusters in which recognisable land-use patterns were the main activity. According to the cluster dendrogram, it was possible to interpret spatial linkages between the clusters of character areas and types and to delineate geographic classification of the main landscapes in Side. Scaling relations for LCA in a pattern-process-product framework provided an explicit understanding of the data layers in landscape classification and where the clustering can function. Biophysical characteristics comprised the pattern of the landscape, while visual characteristics demonstrated the condition of the landscape as a product. The process depends upon transformation between the objective and the subjective as a link between pattern and product. Further steps would be to conduct semistructured surveys to assess local perceptions and preferences about landscape characters for landscape quality objectives.     

伊犁河三角洲景观结构的影响机制研究

在遥感和水文数据的支持下,根据伊犁河三角洲作为典型的中亚干旱区内陆河流域尾闾区域特点,确定了伊犁河三角洲的景观分类系统。通过采用景观结构梯度分析法、景观干扰度指数和景观Kappa指数等方法,系统地分析了近32 a（1975-2007）伊犁河三角洲景观结构的时空演变特征,并对景观结构的影响机制做了充分地探讨。结果表明：（1）沿着一定的地形梯度和水文梯度,伊犁河三角洲流域景观表现出特殊的纵向结构、横向结构的梯度特征和景观内部特征,与地表水直接关联的景观类型表现尤为明显,如湖泊、沼泽、漫滩。（2）在人为活动和自然环境的双重影响下,近32 a伊犁河三角洲景观结构的空间变化具有一定的周期性和不稳定性,主要体现为景观类型面积和空间位置的变化,其中以湿地景观类型的变化最为显著。（3）生态干扰对景观结构的影响因景观类型的不同存在显著的差异性和时空变异性,以湖泊和沼泽受干扰作用最为明显。高、中、低三种干扰强度区域的空间分布及面积变化同样具有一定的周期性和不稳定性。（4）水利工程建设和自然环境是影响伊犁河三角洲景观结构的主要驱动力。水利工程对伊犁河的拦蓄引起景观结构变化的作用最为深远,它通过改变三角洲上游的水文情势直接影响整个区域的景观结构。而自然环境因素中的地形和水文条件主要影响湿地景观类型的时空分布,气候因子则直接影响河川径流量。