Climate Change

The NPS Climate Change Response Strategy was published in September 2010 to give direction on how to address the impacts of climate change. Goals and objectives are described under four integrated components: Science, Adaptation, Mitigation, and Communication

Damage to cultural heritage from outdoor weathering is a perpetual, ubiquitous challenge which grows in complexity as cultural resource managers begin to recognize and anticipate impacts from climate change. In the field of climatology, scientists have documented a pattern of global warming with broad and dire implications for all the earth–including our cultural heritage. While climate change is most precisely understood as a long-term process, we can observe indicators of change in our environments today. Cultural resources in the United States are already being faced with the following problems:

Flooding from increased precipitation
More frequent phase changes (for example: freeze/thaw cycling) over shorter periods of time
Extreme droughts and occasions of wildfire
Invasive species moving into formerly cooler climates
Erosion caused by storm surges in combination with rising sea levels
And more…

This page will serve as a collection of resources on how cultural resources and their managers across the globe are reacting and adjusting to climate change. Topics covered will include: mitigation of emissions, adaptation to new climates, and contribution to public knowledge on efficient energy use.

Map: Climate Change and Cultural Resources

Image	Name	Date
	Climate Change at Dry Tortugas The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled ”Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. Constructed on a spit of land off the southern tip of Florida, historic Fort Jefferson is the central cultural feature of Dry Tortugas National Park. Often ...	09/19/2013
	Climate Change at El Malpais El Malpais National Monument was established for resources associated with ancient lava flows in west-central New Mexico. Artifacts of Zuni and Acoma nations dating from AD 800s to 1200s are located at El Malpais, including a Chaco-style great house, a great kiva, smaller pueblos, field houses, prehistoric reservoirs, and petrogylphs. A number of archaeological sites ...	09/19/2013
	Climate Change at El Morro El Morro National Monument in New Mexico is the home of archaeological sites and inscriptions ranging in date from the 13th to 19th c., and a dramatic landscape characterized by Zuni Sandstone cliffs that rise 200 feet from the valley floor. Use of the site began in the late 1200s when ancestors of Zuni Indians moved onto the outcropping, ...	09/18/2013
	Climate Change at Saint-Gaudens Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site contains the historic home, studios and gardens of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, a preeminent sculptor of the Gilded Era and primary member of the Cornish Art Colony. The site’s main house was built circa 1800, and purchased by Charles C. Beamon in 1884. Beamon was an art patron who initiated the Cornish Art ...	09/16/2013
	Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes In April of 2013, the National Park Service Park Cultural Landscapes Program gave a presentation which articulated the NPS Climate Change Response Strategy (CCRS) for Cultural Landscapes. Following the CCRS, the cultural landscape response is divided into four strategies: science, mitigation, adaptation, and communication. Science Cultural Landscape managers are called to “use the best available scientific data and ...	09/11/2013
	Climate Change at Cape Krusenstern The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled “Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. In the far corner of northwestern Alaska, Cape Krusenstern National Monument stands testament to some of the oldest evidence of human occupation of the North American ...	09/10/2013
	Climate Change at Wrangell-St. Elias The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled “Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve contains a wealth of natural and cultural resources, including significant groupings of Athabascan prehistoric and historic archeological sites. They include ...	09/09/2013
	Climate Change at Kaloko-Honokohau The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled “Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park lies along the rugged western coastline of the Big Island of Hawai’i. Although the landscape is uninhabited today, the park commemorates the ...	09/09/2013
	Climate Change at Golden Gate The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled “Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. Amidst the urban environment of San Francisco, Golden Gate National Recreation Area embodies a rich and diverse cultural landscape chronicling over 200 years of American history. ...	09/09/2013
	Climate Change at Bandelier The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled “Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. In the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico, Bandelier National Monument stands as one of the richest collections of cultural history in the American Southwest. Bandelier’s ...	09/09/2013
	Climate Change at Rocky Mountain The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled “Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. With its lush valley meadows and craggy snow capped peaks, Rocky Mountain National Park is best known for its remarkable scenic beauty and mountain recreation. However, ...	09/09/2013
	Climate Change at Knife River Indian Villages The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled ”Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. At Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, the relationship between natural and cultural resources is fluid. As such, the effects of climate change on the ...	09/09/2013
	Climate Change at Apostle Islands The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled “Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is composed of a 21-island archipelago and a portion of Wisconsin’s Bayfield Peninsula extending out into Lake Superior. The Islands are a ...	09/09/2013
	Climate Change at Gettysburg The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled “Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. Battlefields represent an important interface between nature and culture in cultural landscapes. At Gettysburg National Military Park, preserving historic landscape features associated with historic events is ...	09/09/2013
	Climate Change at Assateague Island The following case study is part of a forthcoming NPS handbook on climate change entitled “Climate Change and Cultural Resources: Impact Assessments and Case Studies.” The original author is Caitlin Smith. Assateague Island National Seashore represents one of the most vulnerable sites for cultural resources on the Atlantic Coast. As a barrier island measuring only 46 feet ...	09/09/2013
	English Heritage: Climate Change and Your Home Climate Change and Your Home is a customizable web tool created by English Heritage that provides information on climate change, sustainability, and the UK’s government legislation on saving energy. While much of the site’s information is applicable to any historic home in England, it is also customizable for “traditionally built homes”: homes built with solid wall or ...	09/06/2013
	Scotland’s Coastal Heritage at Risk Project (SCHARP) Scotland’s Coastal Heritage at Risk Project (SCHARP) is a three year venture created by Scottish Coastal Archaeology and the Problem of Erosion (SCAPE) to monitor impacts from coastal erosion in Scotland. As threats of sea level rise and high storm intensity increase, SCAPE strives to document coastal archaeology while it still exists. SCHARP relies on public ...	09/06/2013
	Getty Discusses Climate Change, Sustainability, and Cultural Heritage In 2008 and 2011, the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) held panel discussions on climate change, sustainability, and cultural heritage. Both panels present information on how cultural resource managers can help slow climate change, adapt resources to changing environments, and be a part of sustainable communities. Climate Change and Preserving Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century The first panel considers ...	08/28/2013
	Atlas of Climate Change The final product of the research project Noah’s Ark: Global Climate Change Impact on Built Heritage and Cultural Landscapes has recently been published. Noah’s Ark, funded by the European Commission, is the premier effort to integrate cultural resource management with climate science research. Participants include experts in climate modeling, atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric physics, materials science, conservation, ...	08/21/2013
	Sample post This is a sample excerpt	09/04/2012

Climate Change

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