Abstract
Recent archaeological fieldwork in the intertidal zone of southwestern Puerto Rico has revealed a unique landscape of ancient shell mounds (accumulations of marine shells deposited by prehistoric peoples). These mounds are, at present, protected from tidal inundation, storm surge, and storm-driven winds by a buffering arc of mangroves known as the Pitahaya Mangrove Forest (PMF). Concerns about the long-term health of these mangroves, and their continuing ability to shelter the shell mounds, motivated the current diachronic remote sensing study examining the effects of both long-term climatic factors (sea level rise, global climate change) and extreme weather events (droughts, hurricanes) on the recent and future health of the PMF. Ultimately, the analysis of NDVI change derived from multispectral satellite imagery, coupled with local climate and weather data and drone-based ground-truthing, revealed troubling trends in the health of the PMF that portend a rather grim future for both the mangroves and the unique ancient landscape they protect.
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