Reconstructing early 17th century estuarine drought conditions from Jamestown oysters.

ABSTRACT: Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were a central component of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem in 1607 when European settlers established Jamestown, VA, the first permanent English settlement in North America. These estuarine bivalves were an important food resource during the early years of the James Fort (Jamestown) settlement while the colonists were struggling to survive in the face of inadequate supplies and a severe regional drought. Although oyster shells were discarded as trash after the oysters were eaten, the environmental and ecological data recorded in the bivalve geochemistry during shell deposition remain intact over centuries, thereby providing a unique window into conditions during the earliest Jamestown years. We compare oxygen isotope data from these 17th century oyster shells

SUBMITTER: Harding JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2890847 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature