Michael Pappalardo Published in Anthropology News

Michael Pappalardo authored “Walls Beneath the Waves” for Anthropology News, the member magazine of the American Anthropological Association.

The Living Breakwaters Project, to be located off the southern tip of Staten Island, will include the installation of a mile-long chain of highly engineered house-sized concrete structures (a breakwater) and a fortified earthen berm along the shore. The breakwater will attenuate the power of future storm surges and reverse shoreline erosion, and the berm will protect homes and parkland from flooding. Michael’s article highlights the project’s accompanying geoarchaeological analysis that revealed evidence of long-submerged terrestrial landscapes and evidence of the dynamic nature of sea level itself.