Abstract
Mapping Climate Change in a Yupik Eskimo Village
Track: Archaeology
Authors: Stephen Brown, Terence Reeve
Nowhere is the impact of climate change in the sub-arctic more evident than around Quinhagak, Alaska. Due to the loss of protective sea ice and melting permafrost, tremendous beach erosion is occurring along the coast of the Bering Sea. With this erosion comes the loss of ancient Yupik Eskimo archeological sites. It is of utmost importance that these sites be mapped and evaluated for protection. However, it is culturally important for these sites to be mapped by the Yupik. This presentation will explain how villagers were taught to use low cost recreational GPS receivers and third party freeware to create maps in ArcGIS 10. This presentation will also explain innovative techniques for increasing GPS accuracy that were utilized.