The Archaeoclimatology Atlas of Oregon

The Modeled Distribution in Space and Time of Past Climates

Research on the effects of climate change on people and the environment has its roots in decades of study by archaeologists and meteorologists. The Archaeoclimatology Atlas of Oregon provides an in-depth look at the modeled climatic and environmental history of the region over the past 14,000 years and analyzes the relationship between climatic variables and people in the past.

The Macrophysical Climate Model (MCM) used for the atlas presents an innovative means of modeling past climate that has been rigorously tested and verified against field evidence worldwide. Broad-scale reconstructions of specific times in the past provide detailed site-specific graphs of precipitation, temperature, evaporation, and snowfall for more than 75 locations in Oregon.

Applications of the model and its implications for human populations in Oregon are explored for each region of the state, demonstrating the variability of human-climate interactions.

Reid A. Bryson (1920-2008) was an emeritus professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, geography, and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He authored seven books and more than 250 other publications ranging over the fields of geology, limnology, meteorology, climatology, archaeology, and geography. His book, Climates of Hunger, received the Banta Medal for Literary Achievement.

Alison Stenger is the director of research at the Institute for Archaeological Studies in Portland, Oregon. Her publications include British Impacts upon Native American Populations in the Northwest; Megafauna, Man, and Pathogens: International Travel in the Pleistocene.

Katherine McEnaney DeWall is an elementary school teacher with a background in archaeology and degrees from Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has published several articles applying Macrophysical Climate Models (MCM) to archaeo- logical questions, and is coeditor with Reid A. Bryson of A Paleoclimatology Workbook: High-Resolution, Site-Specific, Macrophysical Climate Modeling.

Table of Contents:

Publisher’s Note
Section A Climatology for the Field Scientist
Chapter 1. Archaeoclimatology: An Introduction
Chapter 2. Statewide Climate Mapping
Section B Western Oregon
Chapter 3. Case Study: Salem
Chapter 4. Case Study: The Portland Basin and Lake River Region
Chapter 5. Models for Western Oregon
The Northwest Coast: Clatskanie, Nehalem, Newport, Seaside, St. Helens, Summit,
and Tillamook
The Southwest: Ashland, Brookings, Coquille City, Fern Ridge Dam, Gold Beach, Grants Pass,
Honeyman, and Roseburg
The Portland Basin: Portland
The Willamette Valley: Corvallis, Eugene, McMinnville, North Willamette Experiment Station, and Stayton
The Cascades: Bonneville Dam, Cascadia, Cottage Grove Dam, Crater Lake, Detroit Dam, Idleyld Park, Lost Creek Dam, McKenzie Bridge, Odell Lake East, and Three Lynx
Section C The Columbia Plateau and Valleys
Chapter 6. Case Study: Wildcat Canyon, Arlington
Chapter 7. Models for the Columbia Plateau and Valleys
The Plateau: Antelope, Dufur, Heppner, Kent, Metolius, Mikkalo, Monument, and Pendleton
The Ochoco–Blue Mountains Ridge: Austin, Ironside, John Day, Mitchell, Paulina, Prineville, and Seneca
The Northeast: Baker, Elgin, La Grande, Ukiah, and Wallowa
The High Desert: Bend and Brothers
Section D The Interior Basin
Chapter 8. Case Study: Diamond Pond, Voltage Anthony H. Ruter and Reid A. Bryson
Chapter 9: Models for the Interior Basin
The Western Great Basin: Adel, Chemult, Fremont,
Klamath Falls, Malin, Paisley, Sprague River, and Valley Fall
The Eastern Great Basin: Alkali Lake, Beulah, Burns Junction, Burns WSO, Hart Mountain Refuge, McDermitt, Owyhee Dam, P Ranch Refuge, Riverside, Sheaville, Vale, and Wagontire
Section E Storms and Rivers
Chapter 10. Typhoons and the Middle Holocene
Chapter 11. Case Study: River Modeling near Woodburn
Chapter 12. Modeled River Discharge
Deschutes at Mecca, John Day at McDonald Ferry, Molalla at Wilhoit, Owyhee at Rome, Rogue at Agness, Umpqua at Elkton, Willamette at Portland, and Willamina Creek at Willamina
Epilogue
References