Melting glaciers reveal clues to climate adaptation in Norway’s mountainous areas – the state of the earth

Glacier archaeologists recently discovered a second snowboard of prehistoric skiing in Digervarden, a mountain in central Norway. The discovery was only five meters away from the first place where the first was discovered seven years ago, and the date of the ski carbon was 1300 years. As global warming leads to more glacier retreats, many artifacts surfaced and triggered the need for further archaeological research in the region.

The secret of the ICE initiative was initiated by the Innlandet County Council and the Oslo Museum of Cultural History through its Glacier Archaeology Program. Lars Holger Pilø, an archaeologist and co-director of the program, said prehistoric skis are by far the best preserved pair in the world.

“This discovery is groundbreaking. First, it shows that humans use alpine for hunting and transport in winter despite the great risks involved. Second, the significant preservation of snowboards, including its binding, allows us to create precise replicas and experiment with how humans in the Iron Age might ski,” he said. Due to its complete condition, they also provide “new insights into skiing techniques and how to use them.”

Each ski is made of different woods, one from birch and the other from pine trees. However, their proximity and radiocarbon dates indicate that they were used as a pair at the time, even if this was not the original intention. This discovery shows the value of people placing it on a landscape on wooden objects in this demanding landscape.

To make such a discovery, scientists must first determine the location with the greatest potential. Glaciers flow down the mountains and can destroy fragile artifacts, so non-moving ice spots are a safer bet to find well-preserved debris. Archaeologists use aerial photography and satellite imagery, as well as local information from hikers and reindeer herders, to map out ice cubes to find promising places. Pilø shared that the breakthrough in 2006 happened when a major melt of ice revealed hundreds of artifacts and inspired the secrets of making ice plans.

“The rapid melting of glacier ice due to anthropogenic climate change is revealing archaeological objects that have been frozen for hundreds or even thousands of years. These findings provide insights into human activities, technology and adaptation to challenging environments in the past.” Usually, molten ice provides scientists with excavation work, but in the case of prehistoric skis, borneol must be performed to help remove artifacts.

By melting ice to reveal these important artifacts to some extent, climate change contributes to the development of archaeological discoveries, which can help us better understand how humans respond to climate change in the past. Peel said this historical ability to adapt to climate change is “one of the most compelling insights” of the program.

“For example, during the Little Ice Age of the Late Antiques (AD 535-660) – the period of climate cooling – local agriculture in the mountains faces serious challenges as it is already on the brink of feasibility,” he explained. “In response, people have strengthened the hunting of reindeer on the ice, which is a clear example of climate adaptation and resource management under pressure. We can see evidence of increasing hunting by the number of arrows lost on the ice.”

These arrows show changes in human activities consistent with climate change. Recent snowboards found in the mountains also indicate that humans use the area during winter. Pilø explained that since previous ski discoveries came primarily from lower areas they might serve cross-country ski traversals, these alpine skis proved that humans were at higher altitudes in winter than scientists had ever thought.

These arrows and snowboards help build human stories archaeologists try to decipher. They may also be closely related to the environmental stories of the Earth’s natural history. The late antique Little Ice Age described by Pira is reflected in the tree ring records throughout Europe. “Tree ring records add to the context of the current warm millions of years we see. Most weather records are less than 100 years, so we can use paleo-o information to fully understand the possibilities in the climate cycle.”

Through tree rings, we can build a history of the earth’s climate, provide a better background for today’s climate change, and can help us better understand archaeological discoveries. She continued: “Paleoclimatic history can add context to things like human immigration or social collapse.”

Drawing twice on tree circle records and discoveries (such as artifacts found in Norway), scientists can not only distinguish the appearance of Earth thousands of years ago, but also how human societies adapt to these conditions. Pira points out that despite this, it is still difficult to bridge the gap between the artifact and the tree ring.

“The relationship between these archaeological findings and paleoclimate is a more complex and poorly understood aspect of glacial archaeology. While these findings may provide clues about past climatic conditions, it is challenging to explain the relationship,” he said. “Glacier archaeology remains a young and evolving field, and we are just beginning to reveal how these artifacts deepen our understanding of past climates and humanity in changing environments.”

There are still many secrets left in the ice. As glaciers continue to melt and expose more artifacts, the confusing situation of human and Earth’s history may gradually focus on, perhaps providing insights on how to address our ever-changing climate challenges.