425 research outputs found

    Spatial Analysis and Archaeological Resources in the FingerLakes National Forest

    Get PDF
    The objective of this article is to\u27 test how some of the more sophisticated analytical capabilities of GIS can be applied to the data set of the Hector Backbone site in the Finger Lakes National Forest. In doing so it demonstrates how GIS can be used to model the spatial characteristics of the data compiled from the site

    Appendix: Creating a GIS Project in ArcView

    Get PDF
    This appendix was designed to introduce the unfamiliar to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which the Finger Lakes Archaeological Project was designed in application for. This appendix provides the terminology and concepts surrounding the GID technology. It gives a condesnsed overview of the methods of GIS as well as some of the details of the application, ArcView, also used in the Finger Lakes Archaeological Project

    Phase II Archaeological Excavations at 99 Main Street, 18AP21 (Sign of the Whale), Annapolis, Maryland

    Get PDF
    Historical Annapolis Foundation (HAF) conducted terrestrial archaeological investigations at site 18AP21 in the city of Annapolis, Maryland. Excavations were carried out at this National Register site ostensibly as a Phase II project to evaluate the site and assess the need for further work. The site is at 99 Main Street in the center of downtown Annapolis, near the Annapolis waterfront. The project was carried out as part of the advanced work for the Annapolis History Center project, to be built in the adjoining buildings of 99 Main and 196 Green Streets. The buildings are the property of the Historic Annapolis Foundation and located in Maryland Research Unit 7. The excavations were undertaken by HAF, and funded by HAFF. The work was conducted for HAF and MHT, who holds an archaeological easement on the property. This preliminary phase of work included stratigraphic excavation of two testpit units. These two units revealed that the site of the existing 99 Main Street building was the location of three previous constructions. The current building at 99 Main Street, built in 1791, was preceded by an earlier brick dwelling, evidenced by a stout pier of bricks, which was attached to a wooden-sided structure that stood on a foundation of brick and stone. Ceramics indicate that these buildings date to the early-middle of the 18th century. A third structure of post-in-ground construction, evidenced by recovery of burned posts and wood fragments, likely existed prior to these, but evidence was scant. These excavations reveal that the site of 18AP21 holds potential for understanding Annapolis's early cultural developments, especially in the area of initial settlement and the origins of waterfront commerce. The assemblage of artifacts recovered includes a broad sample of common 18th century pottery such as creamware and Chinese export porcelain, and also includes some early colonial types such as tin-glazed earthenware and various red-bodied slipwares. The excavations do not provide conclusive evidence of the construction sequence. Consultation with MHT representatives indicates that further work at the site will likely be needed before modifications to the floor of the building can progress

    Introduction to the Finger Lakes National Forest Archaeology Project

    Get PDF
    An introduction to the volume, which presents research conducted at the convergence of two projects. One, a surve

    Final Report of the Phase III Archaeological Investigations at the Dr. Upton Scott House (18AP18), Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, 1998-1999

    Get PDF
    In the summers of 1998 and 1999, the Archaeology in Annapolis project carried out archaeological investigation at the eighteenth century Dr. Upton Scott House site (18AP18)located at 4 Shipwright Street in the historic district of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The Upton Scott House is significant as one of only a few Georgian houses with remnants of its original plantation-inspired landscape still visible (Graham 1998:147). Investigation was completed in agreement with the owners of the historic property, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Christian, who were interested in determining the condition and arrangement of Dr. Upton Scott’s well-documented pleasure gardens. Betty Cosans’ 1972 Archaeological Feasibility Report, the first real archaeological study of the Upton Scott House site, guided the research design and recovery efforts. Cosans determined that testing and survey in the back and side yards of the Scott property would yield important information on the use and history of the property, including that of Scott’s famous gardens. Excavation units and trenches were placed within three separate areas of backyard activity on the site which included Area One: extant brick stables in the southwest of the property; Area Two: the brick foundations of a small outbuilding located in the northwest area of the site; and Area Three: the area of Scott’s formal gardens. The research design included an interest in recovering evidence of African-American spiritual practice and domestic life at the site. Also of significant importance was an analysis of Scott’s garden beds, concerning the order and layout. Also sought was an understanding of the change in perception and use of the backyard by the various owners of the property

    Site Report for Phase III Archaeological Investigations at Reynolds Tavern (18AP23), 4 Church Circle, Annapolis, Maryland. 1982-1984

    Get PDF
    This report details the archaeology completed at Reynolds Tavern in the years 1982,1983, and 1984. It was completed in 2013, nearly 30 years after the excavation took place, using archival materials such as the draft interim reports, unit summary forms, original notes and photographs which are currently stored in the University Archives at Hornbake Library, at the University of Maryland, College Park. This report has been a collaboration across time and space, drawing from preliminary reports written by Anne Yenstch and Susan Mira in 1982 and Joe Dent and Beth Ford in 1983, as well as original notes from students of the field schools held there during those years, various analyses by scholars from many universities (including the University of Maryland, University of Georgia, and the College of William and Mary), and historical research by Nancy Baker. Thomas Cuddy began the writing of this report in 2002, completing the first three chapters in addition to the artifact analysis that led to the postexcavation identification of the African bundles in the Reynolds Tavern basement. This remarkable discovery was made along with Mark Leone of the University of Maryland, founder and director of Archaeology in Annapolis, who also served as the Principle Investigator during all three years of the Reynolds Tavern excavations. Dr. Leone contributed the fifth and final chapter to this report, the Conclusions and Recommendations, during its final compilation in 2013. The final report, including the fourth chapter on the archaeology itself, was written in part and compiled by Patricia Markert of the University of Maryland in the spring of 2013. Reynolds Tavern has been part of the landscape of Annapolis for two-hundred and fifty five years (at the time of the publication of this report). It sits on Church Circle facing St. Anne’s Church, and is a beautiful example of 18th century Georgian architecture as well one of the defining features of Historic Annapolis today. It currently operates as a popular restaurant and pub, but has served variously as a hat shop, a tavern, an inn, a library and a bank over time, among other things. Its long history contributes to its significance as an archaeological site, and also as a historic marker in present day Annapolis. The archaeology conducted at Reynolds Tavern shed light on life in 18th and 19th century Annapolis, illuminating details of the occupants’ lives through the material traces they left behind. These include an 18th century cobblestone road that ran diagonally through the Tavern’s yard, telling of the movement through early Annapolis; a large and intact well, which was found ii to contain a 19 foot wooden pipe; a large, ovular privy containing many of the objects used on a day to day basis at the Tavern or the structures around it; a subterranean brick storage feature in the basement of the Tavern, which may have been used by Reynolds during his days operating a hat shop; and also in the basement, two African caches of objects, providing a glimpse into West African spiritual practices alive in historic Annapolis and the presence of African American individuals at the Tavern in the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this report is to detail these archaeological investigations and their findings, so that a public record will be available and the archaeology completed at Reynolds Tavern can continue to contribute to the history of Annapolis

    Validation of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder HNOmeasurements

    Get PDF
    We assess the quality of the version 2.2 (v2.2) HNO3 measurements from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Earth Observing System Aura satellite. The MLS HNO3 product has been greatly improved over that in the previous version (v1.5), with smoother profiles, much more realistic behavior at the lowest retrieval levels, and correction of a high bias caused by an error in one of the spectroscopy files used in v1.5 processing. The v2.2 HNO3 data are scientifically useful over the range 215 to 3.2 hPa, with single-profile precision of ∼0.7 ppbv throughout. Vertical resolution is 3–4 km in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, degrading to ∼5 km in the middle and upper stratosphere. The impact of various sources of systematic uncertainty has been quantified through a comprehensive set of retrieval simulations. In aggregate, systematic uncertainties are estimated to induce in the v2.2 HNO3 measurements biases that vary with altitude between ±0.5 and ±2 ppbv and multiplicative errors of ±5–15% throughout the stratosphere, rising to ∼±30% at 215 hPa. Consistent with this uncertainty analysis, comparisons with correlative data sets show that relative to HNO3 measurements from ground-based, balloon-borne, and satellite instruments operating in both the infrared and microwave regions of the spectrum, MLS v2.2 HNO3 mixing ratios are uniformly low by 10–30% throughout most of the stratosphere. Comparisons with in situ measurements made from the DC-8 and WB-57 aircraft in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere indicate that the MLS HNO3 values are low in this region as well, but are useful for scientific studies (with appropriate averaging)

    A framework for engaging stakeholders in solving real-world water resources management problems

    Get PDF
    Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) are becoming increasingly popular for solving environmental and water resources optimisation problems. In the past, the focus of these studies has generally been on methodological issues related to the optimisation algorithm, while the incorporation of stakeholder preferences in the MOEA solution process has largely been ignored. In recent years, there has been increased recognition of the need to apply these approaches to real-world problems to facilitate the realisation of their full potential. However, in most of these studies, stakeholder input was only used to direct the optimisation search process or select the final optimal solution(s), while the contribution of stakeholder input to other important components of the problem solving process was not considered. The reason for this is that the full consideration of stakeholder input in solving environmental and water resources optimisation problems requires the development of a more holistic approach, which involves a range of additional challenges. To address these challenges, a framework for including stakeholder input in real-world optimisation problems has been developed as part of the Optimal Water Resources Mix (OWRM) project initiated by the South Australian Government through the Goyder Institute for Water Research. The framework includes a conceptual framework (Figure 1) and a procedure for its implementation. The framework was applied to an urban water supply security study for Adelaide, South Australia. A summary of the framework and how it was implemented to identify optimal water sourcing options for the Adelaide case study is presented in this paper. This study highlights the important role of stakeholder input at the various stages of the problem formulation and optimisation process, analysis and results, although it can be expensive and time consuming to do so. It is recommended that adequate resources be made available for stakeholder engagement in project plans and budgets, as there needs to be clear and ongoing communication between stakeholder groups throughout the project. It also demonstrates that the use of MOEAs as the optimisation engine, together with appropriate stakeholder input, provides a combination that is well-suited to solving real-world water resources problems.W. Wu, H. R. Maier, G. C. Dandy, R. Leonard c, K. Bellette, S. M. Cuddy and S. Maheepal
    • …
    corecore