Detailed Record



Climate and community in Central Mesa Verde


Abstract ABSTRACT Periods of acute climate stress – the convergence of low subsistence yields due to poor climate conditions and ineffective buffering strategies due to climate variability – critically reduces peoples’ ability to subsist and mitigate food shortages, thereby creating conditions that could result in profound social change. Here, paleoclimate reconstructions are used to identify periods of acute stress at three large Ancestral Pueblo villages in the US Southwest. These periods are examined in relation to occupation histories at each village showing that in certain instances, acute climate stress played a primary role in people's decisions to leave communities. However, not all of the communities reacted to stress in the same way indicating that distinct patterns of climate and social context played an important role in influencing how acute climate stress was experienced by different groups. Results from this study highlight the importance of community‐specific histories when considering the impact of climate stress on past people.
Authors Sean Field University of WyomingORCID , Donna M. Glowacki
Journal Info Wiley-Blackwell | Journal of Quaternary Science , vol: 39 , iss: 3 , pages: 488 - 504
Publication Date 2/2/2024
ISSN 0267-8179
TypeKeyword Image article
Open Access hybrid Hybrid Access
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3596
KeywordsKeyword Image Climate Tipping Points (Score: 0.515287)