Archaeological Investigation Finds No Cultural Barriers to Soil Research at Two Research Sites in Ohio

The Science

The Coastal Observations, Mechanisms, and Predictions Across Systems and Scales: Field, Measurements, and Experiments (COMPASS-FME) project aims to understand and predict ecosystem function and state changes in response to sea level rise, lake-level change, and extreme events. To study these phenomena, researchers need to be able to study and sample belowground systems, such as soil. The project focuses specifically on how flood frequency and duration impact terrestrial-aquatic interface landscapes, and how these impacts propagate through water, sediments, soils, microbes, and plants. This project sought to assure that research activities centered around different sampling and monitoring efforts in northwest Ohio, particularly soil science research, would not disturb any historical cultural resources like residues of human settlements or activities. After digging a series of test pits at each site, archaeologists found no evidence of human tools or activities and determined that COMPASS-FME research within the boundaries tested, including self-directed soil sampling, could proceed responsibly.

The Impact

Previous soil science studies at these sites used very limited and infrequent sampling paired with passive monitoring of belowground processes, such as CO₂ emissions, redox states, and water levels. Clearing these natural sites for belowground research allows scientists to design experiments and sampling activities in ways that optimize the information provided to models that aim to predict Earth system processes, while respecting cultural histories in the region. This self-guided sampling will facilitate a more rapid understanding of the impacts of extreme events and climate change to coastal terrestrial-aquatic ecosystems.

Summary

The COMPASS-FME project is focused on understanding how flood frequency and duration impact terrestrial-aquatic interface landscapes, and how these impacts propagate through water, sediments, soils, microbes, and plants. To make sure that the sites being studied are suitable for belowground research and that researchers would not impact a culturally sensitive historical site, a highly conservative (i.e., minimally invasive) yet methodologically thorough strategy was pursued for the testing of the Portage River and Crane Creek Field Sites in Ohio. Based on this fieldwork, researchers are confident that there are no archaeological materials at either field site—certainly no prehistoric villages, cemeteries, or sites of any substantial size or density.

PNNL Contact

Vanessa L. Bailey, COMPASS-FME principal investigator, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, vanessa.bailey@pnnl.gov

Funding

Archaeological testing and research were supported by COMPASS-FME, a multi-institutional project supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research as part of the Environmental System Science Program.