Marine Ecology

Biology of Archaeology

Ecological Communities & Submerged Cultural Sites

All life on the Earth is intimately connected to the ocean. The vast expanse of the world’s ocean is the single largest ecosystem on the planet, encompassing dynamic habitats such as tropical coral reefs, temperate kelp forests, and deep sea thermal vents. Throughout our storied history, humans have relied on ocean waters at every spatial scale; to regulate climate, provide sustenance, and explore new horizons to name just a few.

There is little doubt we as a society have an innate desire to explore the farthest reaches of the ocean. Even the most remote archipelago in the world has more than one million people currently living in its islands. Despite our long tradition of establishing cultural connections, expanding trade and commerce, and overcoming tremendous odds in adverse conditions, not all human interactions with the sea have been a success. The material record of past civilizations and our continued ocean exploration along every coastline help unravel the intricate tale of our rich maritime heritage.

While traditional archaeological surveys and documentation provide an ever-growing historical record and database of activities, little is known about the ecological communities specifically associated with submerged cultural resource sites being discovered and studied. These often unintentional disturbances present a unique opportunity to study anthropogenic impacts on biological communities in every type of habitat. Archaeological and ecological science can benefit from collaborative studies of the material remains from such disturbances and the effects of introduced foreign materials on the biological community structure.

Our knowledge of the dynamic ocean landscape has increased greatly in recent years as a result of a multidisciplinary approach to studying the environment. It is fast becoming essential to integrate submerged cultural resources and the study of their associated environment in ecosystem-based management initiatives as well as to inform preservation and conservation decisions on their behalf.

Submerged cultural resource sites discovered off the coasts of southern Albania and the Egadi Islands near Sicily are being investigated to determine if the affected areas support different levels of biodiversity compared to their surrounding habitats. Increased spatial heterogeneity (i.e. the benthic landscape), initial and continued environmental disturbance, altered micro-scale oceanographic variables (e.g. currents and shading), and the addition of foreign materials into the ecosystem are some of the possible explanations for observed differences in the flora and fauna in these areas.

Contributed by: Derek Smith, University of Washington