University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2019 Investigating The Late Woodland Climate Of Old Tampa Bay, Florida Jaime Rogers University of Central Florida Part of the Biological and Physical 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 Rogers, Jaime, "Investigating The Late Woodland Climate Of Old Tampa Bay, Florida" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 6685. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/6685 INVESTIGATING THE LATE WOODLAND CLIMATE OF OLD TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA by JAIME AUSTIN ROGERS B.S. 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 Spring Term 2019 ` ABSTRACT Tampa Bay and the broader Central Gulf Coast region of Florida bear evidence of site reduction and population decline during the onset of the Late Woodland period (AD 500-1000). Concomitantly, Weeden Island culture flourished to the north, while climatic instability loomed to the south. It is unclear if the site abandonments in the area between the two are related to social or cultural change, an unstable climate, or a combination thereof. Interdisciplinary research has provided evidence for climate change and sea level regression during the sixth and seventh centuries in Southwest Florida, but these variables have yet to be investigated in Tampa Bay. This study implements a multi-scalar sclerochronological analysis to better understand how the climate of Tampa Bay has changed through time. Analyses of low-resolution stable isotopes (13C and 18O) paired with high-resolution trace elements (Mg, Na, Li, Sr) from 50 eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) specimens supports climatic instability during the Late Woodland period in Tampa Bay. Key words: Historical ecology, LA-ICP-MS, climate change, Tampa Bay ii ` ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the help and input of many individuals. Dr. Barber’s guidance throughout the entire process has made a better writer, researcher, and anthropologist. Dr. Williams, thank you for nudging me into utilizing isotopes in the first place, and for answering my many questions. Dr. Baudelet and Dr. Martinez for welcoming me into their forensic lab and providing many insights into LA-ICP-MS. Dr. Starbuck for being an active and engaging member of my committee and for making statistics both fun and easy to learn. Dr. Bob Austin deserves much recognition for being a mentor to me over the last five years. I am a better archaeologist because of it. Thank you to Janus Research for excavating the material used in this thesis and for compiling a thorough report. Thank you to AWIARE for continuing to curate this material. Thank you to Dr. Anne Stokes and Phylis Kolianos for providing me letters of support in my pursuit of grants. Grants awarded by the Florida Archaeological Council (FAC) and the Florida Anthropological Society (FAS) funded the isotopes in this study. Thank you to SEARCH and USF DHHC for keeping me employed throughout the graduate program, it made a difference both towards my bank account and experience. Paige Paulsen deserves recognition for helping me collect the modern oysters in my study, as well as providing constructive feedback of almost all of my work. Samantha Michell, for helping me cross-section my oysters, as well as providing encouragement throughout the process. Lastly, thank you to my many other friends inside and outside of UCF, as well as my loving family. I am incredibly grateful for you all! iii ` TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................ viii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 Focus of this Study .................................................................................................................................... 3 Research Question and Hypothesis ...................................................................................................................... 6 Theoretical Perspective ............................................................................................................................ 6 Outline of Thesis ..................................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................... 12 Pinellas County ........................................................................................................................................ 12 Tampa Bay, Florida .................................................................................................................................. 13 Old Tampa Bay ........................................................................................................................................ 15 No Longer its Natural State ..................................................................................................................... 16 Florida Archaeological Cultures .............................................................................................................. 19 Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Cultures ............................................................................................ 20 Yat Kitischee (8PI1753) ........................................................................................................................... 25 Stratigraphy and Site Formation Interpretations ................................................................................................ 26 Occupational Variability in the Central Gulf Coast ................................................................................. 29 Sea Level and Climatic Variability of Southwest Florida ......................................................................... 32 Gulf of Mexico Sea Level During the Holocene ................................................................................................... 32 iv ` Southwest Florida Sea Level Curve ..................................................................................................................... 34 Climatic Episodes of the Middle to Late Woodland ............................................................................................ 35 Salinity Gradient Model ...................................................................................................................................... 36 Oyster Ecology ........................................................................................................................................ 37 Environmental or Cultural? ................................................................................................................................. 40 Sclerochronology .................................................................................................................................... 41 Sclerochronology of C. Virginca .......................................................................................................................... 41 Limitations and Assumptions in Sclerochronology ............................................................................................. 43 Methodology Background ...................................................................................................................... 47 Sampling Location ............................................................................................................................................... 47 Stable Isotopes .................................................................................................................................................... 48 LA-ICP-MS ........................................................................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS ...................................................................................... 57 Oyster Provenience ................................................................................................................................. 57 Ancient Oysters ................................................................................................................................................... 57 Modern Oysters .................................................................................................................................................. 61 Modern Environment.............................................................................................................................. 62 Calendar Date Assignments ...............................................................................................................................