Further instances of osteoarthrosis from the Unalaska Sea Ice Project, Unalaska Island, Alaska

This project is designed to estimate the prevalence of osteoarthrosis in avian remains from the site of UNL-050, Unalaska Island, Alaska as a means of contextualizing past environmental conditions.

A subsample of 9667 well-preserved archaeological avian remains.

All remains were visually identified morphologically to the lowest taxonomic level with the aid of reference collections from the Boston University Zooarchaeology Laboratory, the American Museum of Natural History, and Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Fifty-one post-cranial instances of pathology were identified, including forty-five instances of osteoarthrosis.

Degenerative joint changes are concentrated on the shoulder joint and are consistent with sustained mechanical stress associated with flight and foraging behaviors. Environmental variability during the Neoglacial may have contributed to these stresses, although multiple factors are likely involved.

Examination of archaeological avian bones for pathology can suggest climatic impacts on past bird populations.

Research was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, when physical access to museum reference collections was not possible, and reference specimen loans were limited. Time and budgetary constraints also did not allow for examination of the full avifaunal assemblage.

Examining the entire avian assemblage to see if other shoulder girdle elements were impacted and examining nearby sites from the Neoglacial to understand climatic changes and potential sea ice extent and impacts.