INSIGHTS INTO HUMAN ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE: ANNUAL CLIMATE FLUCTUATIONS AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN THE HUDSON BAY LOWLANDS OF ONTARIO, CANADA

Abstract

The record of human adaptation to the exigencies of the environment of the Hudson Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario extends back several thousand years. Over this time, the hemispherical climate has undergone many long- term changes not unlike those described today as being induced by the ef- fects of global warming, albeit over longer time frames. It can be argued that seasonal variations which range from intense winter conditions not unlike those experienced in the Arctic, to sometimes crushingly hot summers were a greater challenge than modifications of annual mean temperatures that could only be measured over the course of generations. Indeed, archaeology indi- cates that seasonal variations in climate left an indelible imprint on the mate- rial record of the region rather than any measurable change in mean annual temperature.