Abstract
Climate variability has influenced settlement and cultural activities of human populations for millennia, and our knowledge of the context of environmental drivers of migration can be inferred using paleolimnological techniques. We present a systematic map of literature to understand the breadth of paleolimnological research that exists on environmental change and its impact on subsistence cultures. We aim to illustrate how the “push” and “pull” of climate influenced human society over the late-Holocene. A systematic search found 68 unique relevant studies that discussed topics of human settlement and migration, stressors on the environment, and (or) ecological monitoring with respect to changes in climate using paleolimnological methods. We identified three primary themes: where people live, how people live, and how people will continue to live. Most studies took place in North America, within the last decade, and had a focus on diatoms, sediment characteristics, and climate. Topics ranged from reconstructions of changes in climate, human presence, human influence on the environment, subsistence strategies, and the importance of monitoring. We demonstrate the value of paleolimnological methods in understanding the timing of events, revealing long-term ecological trends, and providing baseline conditions for effective remediation and management purposes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2042-2056 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Facets |
| Volume | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This project was funded by the Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program of Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, the Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP), and additional funding for student research from Dalhousie University. We are grateful to the community of Coral Harbour, Nunavut, whom helped identify the importance of cultural subsistence practices for Inuit experiencing an uncertain climate future, and Sarah Newell for logistical assistance and facilitation of these discussions. This research was conducted under a Social Science Research Licenses from the Nunavut Research Institute (02 048 19R-M) and approved by the Dalhousie Research Ethics Board (REB file #2019-4723). We thank the two anonymous reviewers whose comments helped improve this manuscript.
Funding Information:
This project was funded by the Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program of Crown– Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, the Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP), and additional funding for student research from Dalhousie University. We are grateful to the community of Coral Harbour, Nunavut, whom helped identify the importance of cultural subsistence practices for Inuit experiencing an uncertain climate future, and Sarah Newell for logistical assistance and facilitation of these discussions. This research was conducted under a Social Science Research Licenses from the Nunavut Research Institute (02 048 19R-M) and approved by the Dalhousie Research Ethics Board (REB file #2019-4723). We thank the two anonymous reviewers whose comments helped improve this manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Covert and Medeiros.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- General