Can this snail tell us about climate change? We think it can. We
think studying Aniakchak Bay’s modern snails and those we
recovered archaeologically will tell us something about the
intensity of wave action (or storminess) 1500 years ago compared
to today. Storminess and exposure to waves would have been an
environmental condition important to the Aniakchak Bay villagers
since their economy was so heavily focused on the harvest of
maritime resources. We hope that our analysis of snail
biomechanics will give us insight into the climatic conditions
faced by the Aniakchak villagers during their occupation and
especially during the abandonment of their home on the bay. The
gastropod Nucella (dogwhelk) is a carnivorous snail found in
rocky intertidal zones where it feeds on barnacles and blue
mussel. Its a tough life. Nucella living on exposed coastlines
are hammered by heavy surf. During low tide the snails face
danger from the dry air and burning sun. Returning ocean waters
at high tide bring other invertebrate