Human History of Marine Life: Extraction, Knowledge, Drivers and Consumption of Marine Resources, c.100 BCE to c.1860 CE (4-OCEANS)

DESCRIPTION: 4-OCEANS addresses a fundamental gap in our understanding of past human engagement with the sea by asking three questions: 1) When and where was marine exploitation of major significance to human society? 2) How did socio-economic, cultural, and environmental forces constrain and enable marine exploitation? 3) What were the consequences of marine exploitation for societal development and the oceans? The answers to these questions are significant to enhancing ocean literacy - i.e. understanding the role of ocean resources for the development of human societies. The answers will reveal diverging societal and cultural trajectories in the past that may also inform future pathways. Our team will contribute to the larger 4-OCEANS interdisciplinary effort by providing 1) simulation of historical climate conditions and 2) economic food supply and price modeling for these scenarios.