The Wetlands of Florida’s Gulf Coast

This chapter presents a case study of Florida’s Gulf Coast to illustrate the application of climate change archaeology. It first discusses the geological and palaeogeographic history of Florida’s Gulf Coast, considering in some detail the ongoing debate on mid and late Holocene sea-level high-stands. It then looks at the archaeology and history of the Floridian coastal communities. It concludes with a consideration of the current state of the coastal wetlands and an investigation into how the resilience of coastal communities can be strengthened using research into adaptive pathways from the past.