Our Submerged Past: Exploring Inundated Late Pleistocene Caves in Southeast Alaska with SUNFISH
Speakers: Dr. Kristof Richmond, Chief Technology Officer, Sunfish, Inc, Dr. Kelly Monteleone, Underwater Anthropologist, Sealaska Heritage Institute
Abstract: The west side of Prince of Wales Island, Southeast Alaska had drastic sea-level rise at the end of the Pleistocene: up to 176 m in 7000 years. This now-submerged coastline would have been the route for early peoples journeying to the Americas. We surveyed this area for submerged caves and rock shelters, performing detailed investigation with the SUNFISH®️ AUV—a compact, portable underwater vehicle with precision positioning and maneuverability to survey complex geometries in 3D, return to targets, take sediment samples, and assist human divers in archaeological tasks. Results from sediment cores include pollen, dinoflagellate cysts, and microdebitage with radiocarbon analysis to expand our understanding of the palaeoenvironment.
About the Speakers:
Dr. Richmond completed his Ph.D. at Stanford University on a visual mapping, navigation, and control system for MBARI ROVs and then started working with Stone Aerospace on a variety of robotics projects, almost all with an underwater component. He's taken advanced, highly maneuverable underwater robots into all kinds of places, from caves in Namibia to under the McMurdo Ice Shelf in Antarctica. He has been involved with the development of the SUNFISH® autonomous underwater vehicle from its beginnings at Stone Aerospace, and now continuing at the spin-out Sunfish, Inc.
Dr. Monteleone completed her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico. She has an MSc in Maritime Archaeology from the University of Southampton, UK, and a Hrs. BSc in Archaeology from the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on providing the tools and expertise to help locate submerged archaeological sites on the continental shelf of Southeast Alaska and assist the local communities in learning more about their ancestors. Kelly is the Associate Director for the Canada/International constituency for Sigma Xi and the secretary for the Alaska Chapter of Sigma Xi.
