Sims, David

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices10-2-2012UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites viaSatelliteDavid SimsInstitute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and SpaceFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationSims, David, "UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite" (2012). UNH Today. 4080.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/4080October 2, 2012 UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via SatelliteDURHAM, N.H. – Researchers from the University of New Hampshire have been awarded funds from NASA’s Space Archaeology program to investigate the transition of indigenous hunter­gatherer cultures in the U.S. Great Lakes region to agricultural­based communities prior to European contact between AD 1200­1600.The three­year, $365,698 project will be conducted by principal investigator Michael Palace of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS) Earth Systems Research Center (ESRC), co­investigator Meghan Howey of the department of anthropology, and post­doctoral researcher Crystal McMichael of ESRC. The focus of the study will be to determine if “micrometeorological lake effects” around major inland lakes contributed to settlement and development of prehistoric agriculture by creating favorable conditions for an extended growing season. To verify the lake effects, the researchers will use ten years of satellite “remotely sensed” imagery from two identical instruments onboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua spacecraft. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS for short, provides a time series of daily images of the Earth, including a region in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula containing earthen mounds built by indigenous cultures, which are a key feature to the archaeological thrust of the study. The MODIS imagery will document the decade­long freeze/thaw cycle of the lakes, which will thus reveal the microclimate conditions of individual lakes. This, in conjunction with a tally of the earthen mounds constructed around lakes with a favorable microclimate, will point to human habitation and potentially increased agricultural practices such as growing maize prior to European contact. Core samples taken from lake bottoms will also be used to uncover evidence of early settlement and landscape changes. “Our hypothesis is that the larger lakes with mounds and favorable microclimates will also have evidence of charcoal from manmade fires, pollen from maize, and other microscopic plant evidence of agricultural practices,” says Palace. A research assistant professor, Palace is expert in remote sensing and geospatial techniques and will lead the analysis of the MODIS imagery as well as remotely sensed radar­based digital elevation map data gathered during previous flights of NASA’s space shuttles. Howey, an assistant professor of archaeology, has been investigating the Michigan mound­building culture and its relation to the transition from hunter­gatherer societies to an agricultural­based culture for years. Results of her work have just been published in her book “Mound Builders and Monument Makers of the Northern Great Lakes, 1200­1600” from the University of Oklahoma Press. Howey will head up the archaeological focus on mounds in the NASA study.Media RelationsPage 1 of 2UNH News: UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite2/6/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2012/oct/ds02greatlakes.cfm.html“The change from a foraging to farming way of life is one of the most significant transitions in human societies, and it has become clear from years of debate that no single ‘cause’ can fully explain the shift because it intertwines social, economic, ideological, and environmental factors,” Howey says. She adds, “The multifaceted nature of this transition demands creative and multiple research approaches, and remote sensing allows for comparison and analysis of vegetation and climate across vast areas.”Post­doctoral researcher McMichael’s focus will be on the lake cores and identifying periods of past agricultural practices and associated vegetation changes through pollen and charcoal analyses. The lake core analysis will allow historical reconstruction of the timing and type of human settlements and agricultural practices. The combined efforts of the project, the scientists say, will produce solid lines of evidence for the assessment of connections between microclimates, mounds, and agriculture. Also working on the project will be former ESRC scientists Rob Braswell and Steve Hagen of the independent consulting firm Applied GeoSolutions in Newmarket, N.H.The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world­class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space­grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.­30­Media Contact: David Sims | 603­862­5369 | Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space Copyright © 2018, The University of New Hampshire  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  UNH main directory: (603) 862­1234. Media Relations is a unit of Communications & Public Affairs which is a division of University Advancement. ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the Webmaster | UNH Today | UNH Social Media IndexPage 2 of 2UNH News: UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite2/6/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2012/oct/ds02greatlakes.cfm.html

UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Media Relations Administrative Offices
10-2-2012
UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via
Satellite
David Sims
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/news
This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Sims, David, "UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite" (2012). UNH Today. 4080.
https://scholars.unh.edu/news/4080
October 2, 2012 
UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite
DURHAM, N.H. – Researchers from the University of New Hampshire have been awarded funds from 
NASA’s Space Archaeology program to investigate the transition of indigenous hunter­gatherer 
cultures in the U.S. Great Lakes region to agricultural­based communities prior to European contact 
between AD 1200­1600.
The three­year, $365,698 project will be conducted by principal investigator Michael Palace of the 
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS) Earth Systems Research Center (ESRC), co­
investigator Meghan Howey of the department of anthropology, and post­doctoral researcher 
Crystal McMichael of ESRC. 
The focus of the study will be to determine if “micrometeorological lake effects” around major 
inland lakes contributed to settlement and development of prehistoric agriculture by creating 
favorable conditions for an extended growing season. 
To verify the lake effects, the researchers will use ten years of satellite “remotely sensed” imagery 
from two identical instruments onboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua spacecraft. The Moderate 
Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS for short, provides a time series of daily images of 
the Earth, including a region in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula containing earthen mounds built by 
indigenous cultures, which are a key feature to the archaeological thrust of the study. 
The MODIS imagery will document the decade­long freeze/thaw cycle of the lakes, which will thus 
reveal the microclimate conditions of individual lakes. This, in conjunction with a tally of the earthen 
mounds constructed around lakes with a favorable microclimate, will point to human habitation and 
potentially increased agricultural practices such as growing maize prior to European contact. Core 
samples taken from lake bottoms will also be used to uncover evidence of early settlement and 
landscape changes. 
“Our hypothesis is that the larger lakes with mounds and favorable microclimates will also have 
evidence of charcoal from manmade fires, pollen from maize, and other microscopic plant evidence 
of agricultural practices,” says Palace. A research assistant professor, Palace is expert in remote 
sensing and geospatial techniques and will lead the analysis of the MODIS imagery as well as 
remotely sensed radar­based digital elevation map data gathered during previous flights of NASA’s 
space shuttles. 
Howey, an assistant professor of archaeology, has been investigating the Michigan mound­building 
culture and its relation to the transition from hunter­gatherer societies to an agricultural­based 
culture for years. Results of her work have just been published in her book “Mound Builders and 
Monument Makers of the Northern Great Lakes, 1200­1600” from the University of Oklahoma Press. 
Howey will head up the archaeological focus on mounds in the NASA study.
Media Relations
Page 1 of 2UNH News: UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite
2/6/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2012/oct/ds02greatlakes.cfm.html
“The change from a foraging to farming way of life is one of the most significant transitions in human 
societies, and it has become clear from years of debate that no single ‘cause’ can fully explain the 
shift because it intertwines social, economic, ideological, and environmental factors,” Howey says. 
She adds, “The multifaceted nature of this transition demands creative and multiple research 
approaches, and remote sensing allows for comparison and analysis of vegetation and climate across 
vast areas.”
Post­doctoral researcher McMichael’s focus will be on the lake cores and identifying periods of past 
agricultural practices and associated vegetation changes through pollen and charcoal analyses. The 
lake core analysis will allow historical reconstruction of the timing and type of human settlements 
and agricultural practices. The combined efforts of the project, the scientists say, will produce solid 
lines of evidence for the assessment of connections between microclimates, mounds, and 
agriculture. 
Also working on the project will be former ESRC scientists Rob Braswell and Steve Hagen of the 
independent consulting firm Applied GeoSolutions in Newmarket, N.H.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world­class public research university with 
the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space­grant university, UNH is the 
state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
­30­
Media Contact: David Sims | 603­862­5369 | Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space 
Copyright © 2018, The University of New Hampshire  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  UNH main directory: (603) 862­1234. 
Media Relations is a unit of Communications & Public Affairs which is a division of University Advancement. 
ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the Webmaster | UNH Today | UNH Social Media Index
Page 2 of 2UNH News: UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite
2/6/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2012/oct/ds02greatlakes.cfm.html


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UNH to Study Great Lakes Archaeological Sites via Satellite

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