Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, 2009
M.A., Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, 2003
B.A., History, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA, 1999
Professional Interests:
My research interests focus on two questions in archaeology: 1) what are the effects of Holocene climate change and resource availability on prehistoric subsistence in Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems, particularly in coastal Alaska; and 2) how can we apply the archaeological record to contemporary environmental issues? To address these questions, I am employing zooarchaeological and stable isotope data in the context of historical ecology and evolutionary ecology to clarify the long-term relationship between hunter-gatherers and the Gulf of Alaska environment. In addition, I am committed to promoting the relevance of these data for indigenous communities and marine resource managers by participating in collaborative research projects inspired by contemporary environmental concerns.
Representative Publications:
2012 West, Catherine F., Stephen Wischniowski, and Christopher Johnston. Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus)Otoliths as a Paleothermometer: Otolith Oxygen Isotope Reconstruction in the Gulf of Alaska. Journal of Archaeological Science. In press.
2011 West, Catherine F., Stephen Wischniowski, and Christopher Johnston. Little Ice Age Climate: Gadus macrocephalusotoliths as a measure of local variability. In The Archaeology of North Pacific Fisheries, edited by Madonna Mossand Aubrey Cannon, pp 31-44. University of Alaska Press, Fairbanks.
2011 West, Catherine F. A Revised Radiocarbon Sequence for New Karlukand the Implications for Kodiak Island Prehistory. Arctic Anthropology 48(1): 80-92.
2009 West, Catherine Foster, Kodiak Island's Prehistoric Fisheries: Human Dietary Response to Climate Change and Resource Availability. Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology 4(2):223-239.
2006 Foster, Catherine W., Faunal Analysis. The Archaeology of Horseshoe Cove: Excavations at KOD-415, Uganik Island, Kodiak Archigelago, Alaska, edited by Patrick Saltonstall and Amy Steffian. Occasional Papers in Alaskan Field Archaeology No. 1, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Alaska Region.
Contact:
Tel: (207) 581-1893
Fax: (207) 581-1823
Department of Anthropology
University of Maine
5773 S. Stevens Hall
Orono, Maine 04469-5773
Uganik Island in the Kodiak archipelago, Alaska.
