Two shards of Native American pottery found at shell midden site that is located on an actively eroding shoreline of Apalachicola Bay. The shards show distinctive markings created by paleo Indians thousands of years ago.
Cultural Heritage at Risk Tool (CHART) Project
Active
By St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
September 20, 2024
Coastal erosion threatens the loss of Native American cultural heritage and archaeological sites located along our coastlines, reducing opportunities to increase knowledge of past communities and environments. This project leverages an advisory team of ancestral Tribes, coastal managers, and archaeologists to strengthen the effectiveness of coastal hazard data, focusing on assessing the vulnerability of shell mound sites to erosion and flooding from future sea level rise and storms.
Shoreline erosion puts cultural heritage sites at risk
Shoreline erosion puts cultural heritage sites at risk
Estuarine habitats provide important environmental services, such as habitat for wildlife and protection for coastal communities from storm surge, and also contain Native American cultural artifacts within shell middens (also called shell mounds). However, these habitats are increasingly at risk to erosion and flooding from sea level rise and storms.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
What are shell middens?
What are shell middens?
When sea level was lower, Indigenous communities lived near the coast, where they harvested oysters and other foods, creating waste piles of shells, pottery, beadwork, and other materials. These piles, known as shell middens, are an integral part of Native American history and culture. As coastal landforms naturally changed over time, much of the surrounding area became wetlands, beaches, and barrier islands. In addition, the ecology of shell middens are distinct because they are often a different elevation and structure than the surrounding habitat. Sea level rise and increased severe storms are escalating shell midden vulnerability to submergence and erosion, putting ecological diversity and cultural artifacts at risk.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Knowledge and tools to assess cultural site vulnerability
Knowledge and tools to assess cultural site vulnerability
The objectives of the Cultural Heritage at Risk (CHART) project are to capitalize on existing research on coastal hazards, coastal management, and Indigenous knowledge by 1) building an advisory team of ancestral Tribes, state archaeologists, and land managers to guide the creation of a tool that increases awareness of cultural site vulnerability to erosion and submergence, 2) identifying cultural sites that are at the greatest risk to erosion and flooding, focusing on Apalachicola and Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserves as pilot study sites, and 3) increasing Indigenous representation in coastal, oceanographic, and archaeological sciences by engaging students through internships and educational opportunities.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Partners work toward inclusion in science
Partners work toward inclusion in science
Current project partners include Florida State University, the University of West Florida, Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Apalachicola Estuarine Research Reserve, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Florida Public Archaeology Network. Funding for CHART is provided by the Southeast Climate Adaptation Center and Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Estuarine Shoreline Change Research Project
The goal of the estuarine shoreline change project is to define shoreline positions for historical and modern wetland shorelines and calculate rates of change along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.
Estuarine and MaRsh Geology Research Project
The goal of the Estuarine and MaRsh Geology (EMRG) Research Project is to study how and where short- and long-term marsh and estuarine coastal processes interact, how they influence coastal accretion or erosion, and how they pre-condition a marsh’s resiliency to storms, sea-level change, and human alterations along the northern Gulf of Mexico (Grand Bay and Point aux Chenes, Mississippi and St...
Native American pottery shards
Two shards of Native American pottery found at shell midden site that is located on an actively eroding shoreline of Apalachicola Bay. The shards show distinctive markings created by paleo Indians thousands of years ago.
Rock breakwaters are used to protect marsh shoreline from erosion
The estuarine shoreline of barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable to shoreline erosion. Structures, such as this rock breakwater, can be used to protect the shoreline from erosional waves.
The estuarine shoreline of barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable to shoreline erosion. Structures, such as this rock breakwater, can be used to protect the shoreline from erosional waves.
Native American shell middens along many coastlines are vulnerable to shoreline erosion
These shells are what remains of a Native American shell midden that is located along an actively eroding shoreline in Apalachicola Bay.
These shells are what remains of a Native American shell midden that is located along an actively eroding shoreline in Apalachicola Bay.
Backbarrier coastline of St. George Island
The estuarine (backbarrier) shoreline of barrier islands in Gulf of Mexico are complex, ecologically diverse habitats that are under threat due to human development, sea level rise, and storms.
The estuarine (backbarrier) shoreline of barrier islands in Gulf of Mexico are complex, ecologically diverse habitats that are under threat due to human development, sea level rise, and storms.
Estuarine shoreline erosion exposes a Native American shell midden
Estuarine shoreline erosion exposes a Native American shell midden beneath the surface of a coastal flatwood forest. Shell middens are the discarded shells and materials from generations of Indigenous people who lived along U.S. coastlines.
Estuarine shoreline erosion exposes a Native American shell midden beneath the surface of a coastal flatwood forest. Shell middens are the discarded shells and materials from generations of Indigenous people who lived along U.S. coastlines.
Native American shell midden is exposed to erosion from sea level rise and storms
Florida archaeologist, Nicole Grinnan, talks about the vulnerability of Native American shell middens to coastal erosion from sea level rise and storms along the Apalachicola Bay.
Florida archaeologist, Nicole Grinnan, talks about the vulnerability of Native American shell middens to coastal erosion from sea level rise and storms along the Apalachicola Bay.
Point Aux Chenes scarped marsh shoreline in September 2021
Looking south along a Point Aux Chenes scarped low-marsh shoreline in September 2021
Looking south along a Point Aux Chenes scarped low-marsh shoreline in September 2021
Joseph Terrano in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi marsh
Joseph Terrano collects field notes in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi marsh.
Joseph Terrano collects field notes in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi marsh.
Bayou Heron boat ramp at sunrise in Grand Bay, Mississippi
Photograph of a purple sunrise at Bayou Heron boat ramp in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
Photograph of a purple sunrise at Bayou Heron boat ramp in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
High tide along the marsh shoreline in Middle Bay
Marsh shoreline inundation during high tide at a marsh sampling site around Middle Bay in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
Marsh shoreline inundation during high tide at a marsh sampling site around Middle Bay in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
High tide along the marsh shoreline in Middle Bay
Marsh shoreline inundation during high tide north of a marsh sampling site around Middle Bay in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
Marsh shoreline inundation during high tide north of a marsh sampling site around Middle Bay in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
Rapid salt-marsh erosion in Grand Bay, Mississippi
This time-lapse video shows lateral erosion of a salt marsh in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of an embayment near the city of Pascagoula, Mississippi, on the US Gulf coast. Wave action over the course of 6.5 months led to about 1.5 meters of erosion.
This time-lapse video shows lateral erosion of a salt marsh in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of an embayment near the city of Pascagoula, Mississippi, on the US Gulf coast. Wave action over the course of 6.5 months led to about 1.5 meters of erosion.
Installing a water level gauge and camera in Grand Bay, Mississippi
Kathryn Smith of the USGS St.
Photo showing complex geomorphology of the Grand Bay marsh landscape
Photo showing the complex geomorphology of the marsh landscape of the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge/Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in coastal Alabama and Mississippi. (1) Geology—a tidal creek that at lower sea level than present served as a distributary channel of a river-delta system. (2) Hydrodynamics—wave erosion of the marsh edge.
Photo showing the complex geomorphology of the marsh landscape of the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge/Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in coastal Alabama and Mississippi. (1) Geology—a tidal creek that at lower sea level than present served as a distributary channel of a river-delta system. (2) Hydrodynamics—wave erosion of the marsh edge.
Coastal erosion threatens the loss of Native American cultural heritage and archaeological sites located along our coastlines, reducing opportunities to increase knowledge of past communities and environments. This project leverages an advisory team of ancestral Tribes, coastal managers, and archaeologists to strengthen the effectiveness of coastal hazard data, focusing on assessing the vulnerability of shell mound sites to erosion and flooding from future sea level rise and storms.
Shoreline erosion puts cultural heritage sites at risk
Shoreline erosion puts cultural heritage sites at risk
Estuarine habitats provide important environmental services, such as habitat for wildlife and protection for coastal communities from storm surge, and also contain Native American cultural artifacts within shell middens (also called shell mounds). However, these habitats are increasingly at risk to erosion and flooding from sea level rise and storms.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
What are shell middens?
What are shell middens?
When sea level was lower, Indigenous communities lived near the coast, where they harvested oysters and other foods, creating waste piles of shells, pottery, beadwork, and other materials. These piles, known as shell middens, are an integral part of Native American history and culture. As coastal landforms naturally changed over time, much of the surrounding area became wetlands, beaches, and barrier islands. In addition, the ecology of shell middens are distinct because they are often a different elevation and structure than the surrounding habitat. Sea level rise and increased severe storms are escalating shell midden vulnerability to submergence and erosion, putting ecological diversity and cultural artifacts at risk.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Knowledge and tools to assess cultural site vulnerability
Knowledge and tools to assess cultural site vulnerability
The objectives of the Cultural Heritage at Risk (CHART) project are to capitalize on existing research on coastal hazards, coastal management, and Indigenous knowledge by 1) building an advisory team of ancestral Tribes, state archaeologists, and land managers to guide the creation of a tool that increases awareness of cultural site vulnerability to erosion and submergence, 2) identifying cultural sites that are at the greatest risk to erosion and flooding, focusing on Apalachicola and Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserves as pilot study sites, and 3) increasing Indigenous representation in coastal, oceanographic, and archaeological sciences by engaging students through internships and educational opportunities.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Partners work toward inclusion in science
Partners work toward inclusion in science
Current project partners include Florida State University, the University of West Florida, Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Apalachicola Estuarine Research Reserve, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Florida Public Archaeology Network. Funding for CHART is provided by the Southeast Climate Adaptation Center and Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Estuarine Shoreline Change Research Project
The goal of the estuarine shoreline change project is to define shoreline positions for historical and modern wetland shorelines and calculate rates of change along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.
Estuarine and MaRsh Geology Research Project
The goal of the Estuarine and MaRsh Geology (EMRG) Research Project is to study how and where short- and long-term marsh and estuarine coastal processes interact, how they influence coastal accretion or erosion, and how they pre-condition a marsh’s resiliency to storms, sea-level change, and human alterations along the northern Gulf of Mexico (Grand Bay and Point aux Chenes, Mississippi and St...
Native American pottery shards
Two shards of Native American pottery found at shell midden site that is located on an actively eroding shoreline of Apalachicola Bay. The shards show distinctive markings created by paleo Indians thousands of years ago.
Two shards of Native American pottery found at shell midden site that is located on an actively eroding shoreline of Apalachicola Bay. The shards show distinctive markings created by paleo Indians thousands of years ago.
Rock breakwaters are used to protect marsh shoreline from erosion
The estuarine shoreline of barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable to shoreline erosion. Structures, such as this rock breakwater, can be used to protect the shoreline from erosional waves.
The estuarine shoreline of barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable to shoreline erosion. Structures, such as this rock breakwater, can be used to protect the shoreline from erosional waves.
Native American shell middens along many coastlines are vulnerable to shoreline erosion
These shells are what remains of a Native American shell midden that is located along an actively eroding shoreline in Apalachicola Bay.
These shells are what remains of a Native American shell midden that is located along an actively eroding shoreline in Apalachicola Bay.
Backbarrier coastline of St. George Island
The estuarine (backbarrier) shoreline of barrier islands in Gulf of Mexico are complex, ecologically diverse habitats that are under threat due to human development, sea level rise, and storms.
The estuarine (backbarrier) shoreline of barrier islands in Gulf of Mexico are complex, ecologically diverse habitats that are under threat due to human development, sea level rise, and storms.
Estuarine shoreline erosion exposes a Native American shell midden
Estuarine shoreline erosion exposes a Native American shell midden beneath the surface of a coastal flatwood forest. Shell middens are the discarded shells and materials from generations of Indigenous people who lived along U.S. coastlines.
Estuarine shoreline erosion exposes a Native American shell midden beneath the surface of a coastal flatwood forest. Shell middens are the discarded shells and materials from generations of Indigenous people who lived along U.S. coastlines.
Native American shell midden is exposed to erosion from sea level rise and storms
Florida archaeologist, Nicole Grinnan, talks about the vulnerability of Native American shell middens to coastal erosion from sea level rise and storms along the Apalachicola Bay.
Florida archaeologist, Nicole Grinnan, talks about the vulnerability of Native American shell middens to coastal erosion from sea level rise and storms along the Apalachicola Bay.
Point Aux Chenes scarped marsh shoreline in September 2021
Looking south along a Point Aux Chenes scarped low-marsh shoreline in September 2021
Looking south along a Point Aux Chenes scarped low-marsh shoreline in September 2021
Joseph Terrano in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi marsh
Joseph Terrano collects field notes in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi marsh.
Joseph Terrano collects field notes in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi marsh.
Bayou Heron boat ramp at sunrise in Grand Bay, Mississippi
Photograph of a purple sunrise at Bayou Heron boat ramp in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
Photograph of a purple sunrise at Bayou Heron boat ramp in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
High tide along the marsh shoreline in Middle Bay
Marsh shoreline inundation during high tide at a marsh sampling site around Middle Bay in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
Marsh shoreline inundation during high tide at a marsh sampling site around Middle Bay in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
High tide along the marsh shoreline in Middle Bay
Marsh shoreline inundation during high tide north of a marsh sampling site around Middle Bay in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
Marsh shoreline inundation during high tide north of a marsh sampling site around Middle Bay in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.
Rapid salt-marsh erosion in Grand Bay, Mississippi
This time-lapse video shows lateral erosion of a salt marsh in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of an embayment near the city of Pascagoula, Mississippi, on the US Gulf coast. Wave action over the course of 6.5 months led to about 1.5 meters of erosion.
This time-lapse video shows lateral erosion of a salt marsh in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of an embayment near the city of Pascagoula, Mississippi, on the US Gulf coast. Wave action over the course of 6.5 months led to about 1.5 meters of erosion.
Installing a water level gauge and camera in Grand Bay, Mississippi
Kathryn Smith of the USGS St.
Photo showing complex geomorphology of the Grand Bay marsh landscape
Photo showing the complex geomorphology of the marsh landscape of the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge/Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in coastal Alabama and Mississippi. (1) Geology—a tidal creek that at lower sea level than present served as a distributary channel of a river-delta system. (2) Hydrodynamics—wave erosion of the marsh edge.
Photo showing the complex geomorphology of the marsh landscape of the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge/Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in coastal Alabama and Mississippi. (1) Geology—a tidal creek that at lower sea level than present served as a distributary channel of a river-delta system. (2) Hydrodynamics—wave erosion of the marsh edge.