Project Rationale
We explore the use of stable isotopic and trace element (Sr/Ca, Mg/Ca) analyses of marine mollusks to reconstruct past (latest Holocene) variations in regional sea-surface temperatures and salinities along the coast of North America and Europe. Although they only live for 10-30 years, some mollusk species (such as Mercenaria mercenaria) are commonly preserved in archeological shell middens (paleo-Indian refuse heaps) along the North American coastline.
Many of these middens date back to ~6,000 years BP and some were continuously occupied for many hundreds to thousands of years. Late Holocene shell middens (containing Mercenaria spp. and other mollusks) are known from Florida to Greenland. Analysis of the shels preserved in these middens provides a seasonal-resolution paleotemperature archive that can be used to quantify amplitudes and rates of Holocene climate change.
Modern Calibration
Temperature and Salinity estimates from Mercenaria shell chemistry (more...)
Applications to Archeological Material
The Croatan Culture; Buxton, NC (1000-1750 AD) (more...)
The Weeden Island Culture; Cedar Key, FL (300-800 A.D.) (more...)