The nature of preservation potential for submerged cultural landscapes on continental shelves remains varied and not easily defined. This is due to two factors: First, relatively few sites have been discovered offshore, creating a small sample size. Second, excavation and analysis of such submerged sites have only begun to mature during the past few decades. We present here results from an exploratory study of one such site that examines impacts from two tropical cyclone systems in successive years. The main feature of this site is a specific type of archaeological feature: a shell midden. These sites are excellent indicators for coastal occupations globally and can retain evidence for major developments in cultural evolution, including reactions to climate change and sea-level rise from the Pleistocene into the Holocene. Further, they are found worldwide. The degree to which middens have been impacted by past and present marine forces, including tropical cyclones, is a key factor in their potential to preserve such evidence. We used a geoarchaeological methodology that quantifies particle size fractions from sediments taken from various zones within the site to compare them before and after each storm. Results have significant implications for preservation of submerged, formerly coastal archaeological sites globally.

大陆架上水下文化景观的保护潜力的性质仍然多种多样，不容易定义。这是由于两个因素：首先，在海上发现的地点相对较少，因此样本量较小。其次，这些水下遗址的挖掘和分析在过去几十年才开始成熟。我们在此展示对此类站点进行的一项探索性研究的结果，该站点检查了连续几年两个热带气旋系统的影响。该遗址的主要特征是一种特定类型的考古特征：贝壳。这些遗址是全球沿海占领的绝佳指标，可以保留文化演变重大发展的证据，包括对气候变化的反应和从更新世到全新世的海平面上升。更远，它们遍布世界各地。过去和现在的海洋力量（包括热带气旋）对middens的影响程度是它们保存此类证据的潜力的关键因素。我们使用了一种地质考古学方法来量化取自场地内不同区域的沉积物的颗粒大小分数，以比较每次风暴之前和之后的它们。结果对保护全球淹没的以前沿海考古遗址具有重要意义。