Studying the relationship between past people and their environments

Abstract

AGU Chapman Conference on Climates, Past Landscapes, and Civilizations; Santa Fe, New Mexico, 21–25 March 2011; The fortunes of human societies are intimately linked to the environments that sustain them. This has been true from the first emergence of human ancestors through to the present day. An AGU Chapman Conference was held to discuss the relationship between past people and their environments. Participants examined the state of the field, debated issues of contention, and formulated ways that such cross-disciplinary research can progress. Scientists' increasing ability to generate high-resolution climate records has proliferated studies that link the rise and fall of cultures to climate change. This meeting brought together scholars from across the divide between Earth sciences and archaeology to derive a deeper understanding of how humans have reacted to and shaped the changing environment.