Weathering the Storm: Effects of Storm Periods on Ancient Populations of Coastal Florida
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University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2018 Weathering the Storm: Effects of Storm Periods on Ancient Populations of Coastal Florida Brett Parbus University of Central Florida Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Parbus, Brett, "Weathering the Storm: Effects of Storm Periods on Ancient Populations of Coastal Florida" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 6617. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/6617 WEATHERING THE STORM: EFFECTS OF STORM PERIODS ON ANCIENT POPULATIONS OF COASTAL FLORIDA by BRETT MATTHEW PARBUS B.A. University of Central Florida, 2015 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2018 ABSTRACT Understanding human response to natural disasters is a core problem for environmental archaeologists. Hurricanes are often devastating to coastal populations, and recognizing behavioral change in response to these major storm events provides context for the resilience and adaptability of ancient coastal people. This research project focuses on retrodicting periods of increased storm frequency and intensity for regions of the Florida coast and comparing those storm periods to the existing archaeological record in order to determine if there are correlations between increased storminess and periods of site abandonment and/or changes in subsistence strategy. These potential correlations may aid in our understanding of human cultural response to dramatic environmental change. Particle size analysis was performed on sediment cores collected from 5 coastal Florida lakes in order to determine periods of increased storm occurrence dating back as far as 9000 B.P. After comparing these storm chronologies to dated materials from the existing archaeological record of the regions surrounding each of the coastal lakes, preliminary analysis shows the potential for correlation between periods of increased storminess and site abandonment. At the regional level and in several intra-site comparisons, there are some noticeable staggering effects between the periods of storminess and the radiocarbon dates of archaeological materials. Further investigation is needed to more fully understand the relationship between these two datasets, which may further our understanding of cultural resilience to environmental stressors and the catalyzing forces of site abandonment and subsistence change in coastal Florida. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my loving wife Briana, who pushes me to work harder and reach farther, and who is always there to support and comfort me. I would like to thank Dr. Nancy White, Dr. Rebecca Saunders, and Thomas Penders. This project would not have been possible without your cooperation, guidance, and advice. I would like to thank my entire thesis committee. Thank you, Dr. John Walker, for your keen insights and constant positive reinforcement. Thank you, Dr. Joseph Donoghue, for allowing me to be a part of this project and for providing me with an abundance of practical and unique experience. Lastly, thank you, Dr. Sarah Barber, for your patience and inexhaustible dedication to preparing and encouraging all of your students. I, for one, would be lost without it. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................vi LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................viii 1. INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................1 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................................5 2.1 Coastal Archaeological Cultures and Regions Of Florida ...............................................................6 2.1.1 East and Central Florida:......................................................................................................9 2.1.2 Northwest Florida: ............................................................................................................ 12 2.1.3 North Peninsular Gulf Coast Florida:................................................................................... 14 2.2 Effects of Environmental Stressors On Ancient People ............................................................... 15 2.2.1 Major Storms .................................................................................................................... 18 2.2.2 Sea-Level Rise ................................................................................................................... 22 2.2.3 El Niño.............................................................................................................................. 24 2.2.4 Risks of Environmental Determinism .................................................................................. 26 2.3 Conclusions............................................................................................................................. 27 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................................................................... 29 3.1 Field Methods ......................................................................................................................... 30 3.2 Laboratory Methods ................................................................................................................ 32 3.3 Sediment Profile Data .............................................................................................................. 33 3.4 Geochronology........................................................................................................................ 35 3.5 Coastal Mapping Using GIS....................................................................................................... 36 3.6 Historic Storm Compilation ...................................................................................................... 40 3.7 Data Collection........................................................................................................................ 40 4. RESULTS ....................................................................................................................................... 43 4.1 Storm Histories of The Florida Coast ......................................................................................... 44 4.1.1 East and Central Florida..................................................................................................... 44 4.1.2 Northwest Florida ............................................................................................................. 55 4.1.3 North Peninsular Gulf Coast Florida.................................................................................... 65 4.2 Occupational Histories of the Florida Coast ............................................................................... 69 4.2.1 East and Central Florida..................................................................................................... 71 4.2.2 Northwest Florida ............................................................................................................. 74 4.2.3 North Peninsular Gulf Coast Florida ............................................................................. 80 5. ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................................... 83 iv 5.1 Analysis of East and Central Florida Coastal Sites....................................................................... 84 5.1.1 010516-01 Merritt Island – Circular Pond ........................................................................... 85 5.1.2 092315-01 Merritt Island – Clark Slough ............................................................................. 88 5.1.3 8BR246 Windover Site ....................................................................................................... 91 5.1.4 8VO124 Snyder’s Mound/Scenic Lagoon............................................................................. 92 5.1.5 8VO202 Hontoon Island/Hontoon Island Midden ................................................................ 94 5.2 Analysis of Northwest Florida Coastal Sites ............................................................................... 96 5.2.1 052416-01 Mullet Pond ..................................................................................................... 97 5.2.2 052516-01 Western Lake ................................................................................................. 100 5.3 Analysis of North Peninsular Gulf Coast Florida Sites ............................................................... 103 5.3.1 070617-02 Cedar Key .....................................................................................................