T C Rick

Biographic Data

ID38315
NAMET C Rick
GIVEN NAMEST C
FAMILY NAMERick
SIGNATURERICK T C
AFFILIATIONSSmithsonian Institution
ORCID0000-0002-8254-5885
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS118
TOTAL CITATIONS835
AUTHOR COUNT118
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR1999
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2026
H-INDEX16

  • Far from shore: Archaeology of seafood canneries and offshore commercial fishing

    Open AccessT C Rick, T J Braje et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Environmental…2026

    The nineteenth and twentieth centuries were a transformative time for ocean ecosystems, marked by overfishing, habitat degradation, and a series of other anthropogenic perturbations. In the northeast Pacific, the creation of canneries from Alaska to Mexico drove commercial fisheries for tuna, salmon, sardines, and other fishes by opening new markets around the world and fishing for or importing fishes from equally distant places. Here, we synthes…

  • The effect of survivorship bias on archaeological oyster valve size metrics: Implications for Fisheries Baselines

    Open AccessNeill J Wallis, T C Rick et al.ARTICLEJournal of Archaeological Science2025References: 2

  • Exploring a Scientific Research Station from a Bygone Era: Historical Archaeology at Orr’s Camp, Santa Rosa Island (Wimaɬ), Alta California

    Linda Bentz, T C Rick et al.ARTICLECalifornia Archaeology2024References: 11

    The northwest coast of Wimaɬ (Santa Rosa Island) has long been a focus of archaeological research, including former Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History archaeologist, geologist, and paleontologist Phil Orr's work from the 1940s–1960s. Orr pioneered the use of radiocarbon dating on the California Channel Islands, built extensive archaeological collections, and constructed a detailed cultural sequence. Here, we discuss the history and status of…

  • Contextualizing Late Holocene Subsistence Change on California’s Northern Channel Islands: A Middle Period Case Study from Santa Cruz Island

    T J Braje, Stephanie Gallanosa et al.ARTICLECalifornia Archaeology2024References: 12

    The complex relationship between sociopolitical complexity, natural climatic change, and subsistence strategies on California's Northern Channel Islands has long been a topic of archaeological inquiry. One period of particular interest to researchers is the Middle-to-Late Period Transition (MLT, 800–650 cal BP), during which Chumash hierarchical sociopolitical organization is thought to have solidified. Multiple models of sociopolitical change ha…

  • Archaeology and ethnobiology of Late Holocene bird remains from the northern Oregon coast

    Open AccessHannah P Wellman, Megan D Spitzer et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2024References: 8

    Archaeological bird remains from the Oregon coast provide important insight into local environments and the interactions between birds and people on the North American Pacific Coast. We contribute to this discussion with an analysis of bird remains from the Late Holocene Par‐Tee site (35CLT20) in Seaside, Oregon. We sampled the Par‐Tee avifaunal assemblage to near‐redundancy, generating the largest sample from a single site on the Oregon Coast to…

  • Shell Midden Archaeology: Current Trends and Future Directions

    Open AccessT C RickARTICLEJournal of Archaeological Research2023Cited by: 9References: 137

    Since the 19th century, the study of shell middens has played an important role in archaeological research. Shell midden and broader coastal archaeology have transformed our understanding of human relationships with aquatic habitats, demonstrating the importance of marine environments to human evolution and ecology, the colonization of islands and establishment of maritime trade networks, changing social and political dynamics, and a variety of o…

  • Archaeological and stable isotope data reveal patterns of fishing across the food web on California’s Channel Islands

    Open AccessEmma A Elliott Smith, T J Braje et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2023Cited by: 3References: 10

    How do human communities integrate within food webs? Studies characterizing the historical flow of energy among people and local environments can yield important insights into managing sustainable ecosystems. Here, we combine zooarchaeological, bulk tissue, and compound-specific stable isotope data from late Holocene Santa Rosa Island to investigate the ecological role of people within a southern California nearshore marine ecosystem. We show peo…

  • Investigations at an eroded shell midden reveal direct evidence for fur seal hunting and diverse subsistence strategies on Late Holocene Santa Rosa (Wima) Island, California

    T C Rick, Danielle Duguid et al.ARTICLEThe Journal of Island and Coastal…2023References: 2

    Sea level rise and marine erosion threaten coastal archaeological sites around the world, forcing difficult decisions about how to prioritize which sites to document and analyze. Here we present the results of research at a heavily eroded Late Holocene shell midden at CA-SRI-26, Santa Rosa Island, California. Systematic surface collection and radiocarbon dating of the site revealed an assemblage that is about 1400 years old and contains a variety…

  • On Desert Shores: Archaeology and History of the Western Midriff Islands in the Gulf of California

    T C Rick, Torben RickARTICLEJournal of Anthropological Research2023

  • Coastal Archaeology and Historical Ecology for a Changing Planet

    T C RickARTICLEJournal of Anthropological Research2023Cited by: 3References: 88

    Our ocean planet is home to diverse marine environments and organisms that played an important role in human evolution and ecology. Today, coastal marine ecosystems are dramatically degraded and threatened by climate change, habitat destruction, overfishing, and more, leaving key questions about the future of ocean ecosystems in increasingly unstable times. Archaeology provides perspectives on past marine ecosystems and people’s role in shaping a…

  • Coring, profiling, and trenching: Archaeological field strategies for investigating the Pleistocene-Holocene-Anthropocene continuum

    Open AccessT C Rick, Abdullah M Alsharekh et al.ARTICLEQuaternary International2022

    Archaeologists have long emphasized the importance of large-scale excavations and multi-year or even decades-long projects at a single site or site complex. Here, we highlight archaeological field strategies, termed coring, profiling, and trenching (CPT), that rely on relatively small-scale excavations or the collection of new samples from intact deposits in previously excavated trenches (aka test units or pits). Examples from multiple sites in A…

  • News and Notes

    Jon Erlandson, Quintan Shup Garcia et al.ARTICLECalifornia Archaeology2022References: 1

  • Cultural Keystone Places and the Chumash Landscapes of Kumqaq', Point Conception, California

    Open AccessT C Rick, T J Braje et al.ARTICLEAmerican Antiquity2022Cited by: 4References: 41

    The places in which people live and spend time are steeped in history, memory, and meaning from the intersection of daily life, environmental interactions, cultural practices, and ritual. Geologic features, plants, animals, and ecosystems merge with these cultural histories, forming critical parts of the landscape and areas of 'high cultural salience,' or 'cultural keystone places' (CKPs). We identify Kumqaq' (Point Conception) and the surroundin…

  • People have shaped most of terrestrial nature for at least 12,000 years

    Open AccessErle C Ellis, Nicolas Gauthier et al.ARTICLEProceedings of the National…2021

    Significance The current biodiversity crisis is often depicted as a struggle to preserve untouched habitats. Here, we combine global maps of human populations and land use over the past 12,000 y with current biodiversity data to show that nearly three quarters of terrestrial nature has long been shaped by diverse histories of human habitation and use by Indigenous and traditional peoples. With rare exceptions, current biodiversity losses are caus…

  • Green or white? Morphology, ancient DNA, and the identification of archaeological North American Pacific Coast sturgeon

    Open AccessE Dalyn Grindle, T C Rick et al.ARTICLEJournal of Archaeological Science…2021References: 10

  • The premise and potential of model-based approaches to island archaeology: A response to Terrell

    Thomas P Leppard, Robert J Dinapoli et al.ARTICLEThe Journal of Island and Coastal…2021Cited by: 5References: 13

    In a recent paper published in The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology , John Terrell (2020) objected to the proposition that islands can offer model systems to study human behavior and ecodynamics (see Cherry and Leppard 2018; DiNapoli and Leppard 2018; DiNapoli et al. 2018; Fitzpatrick and Erlandson 2018; Kirch 2007; McLaughlin, Stoddart, and Malone 2018; Pilaar Birch 2018). He argues that a review of insular model systems in the study of…

  • Modeling avian eggshell microstructure to predict ontogenetic age and reveal patterns of human-avifauna interaction

    Open AccessKristina Douglas, Priyangi Bulathsinhala et al.ARTICLEJournal of Archaeological Science2021Cited by: 1References: 14

  • Finding Archaeological Relevance during a Pandemic and What Comes After

    Open AccessLynn H Gamble, Cheryl Claassen et al.ARTICLEAmerican Antiquity2021Cited by: 7References: 120

    This article emerged as the human species collectively have been experiencing the worst global pandemic in a century. With a long view of the ecological, economic, social, and political factors that promote the emergence and spread of infectious disease, archaeologists are well positioned to examine the antecedents of the present crisis. In this article, we bring together a variety of perspectives on the issues surrounding the emergence, spread, …

  • Human Impacts on Ancient Marine Ecosystems

    Open AccessT C Rick, Jon M Erlandson et al.CHAPTEREncyclopedia of Global Archaeology2020

  • Archaeology, climate, and global change in the Age of Humans

    Open AccessT C Rick, Daniel H SandweiARTICLEProceedings of the National…2020

    We live in an age characterized by increasing environmental, social, economic, and political uncertainty. Human societies face significant challenges, ranging from climate change to food security, biodiversity declines and extinction, and political instability. In response, scientists, policy makers, and the general public are seeking new interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary approaches to evaluate and identify meaningful solutions to these glob…

  • Human ecology, paleogeography, and biodiversity on California’s small Islands

    T C Rick, L Reeder-Myers et al.ARTICLEThe Journal of Island and Coastal…2020Cited by: 3References: 16

    The island laboratory concept has long been an important construct in island archaeology, with an emphasis on human biogeography and issues of isolation, connectivity, interaction, evolution, and extinction. The Pacific Coast of Alta and Baja California contains several offshore islands that offer a framework for evaluating a variety of cultural and ecological issues. The California Islands include large islands (>100 km2) with abundant resources…

  • New insights on the Par-Tee (35CLT20) site: Collections-based research of northern Oregon Coast fisheries

    Gabriel M Sanchez, Kenneth W Gobalet et al.ARTICLEThe Journal of Island and Coastal…2020Cited by: 2References: 22

    Museum-based archaeological research is multifaceted due to the diverse excavation histories, sampling strategies, curation practices, and available documentation for museum collections. Museum-based studies provide an opportunity to analyze previously excavated materials from sites that were historically destroyed or are no longer accessible for further research. In this paper, we present new insights into the ancient fishery of the Par-Tee site…

  • Early to Middle Holocene Estuarine Shellfish Collecting on the Islands and Mainland Coast of the Santa Barbara Channel, California, USA

    Open AccessT C RickARTICLEOpen Quaternary2020Cited by: 1References: 30

    Terminal Pleistocene to Middle Holocene sea level rise resulted in a number of changes to coastal ecosystems around the world, providing new challenges and opportunities for coastal peoples. In California, glacial to interglacial sea level rise resulted in some reductions in rocky shore kelp forests, but it also resulted in the formation of estuaries. Estuaries were important for terminal Pleistocene peoples in the Santa Barbara Channel region (S…

  • Human-environmental interactions in Mediterranean climate regions from the Pleistocene to the Anthropocene

    Open AccessT C Rick, Miguel Ángel Cau-Ontiveros et al.ARTICLEAnthropocene2020Cited by: 9References: 128

    From mobile hunter-gatherers to a series of state societies, Mediterranean climate regions (MED) around the world have been critical areas for human and biological evolution for millennia. Comprised of five regions on six continents, the MED are important today for human settlement, global food production, transportation, industry, and tourism, but these regions are also extremely vulnerable to projected changes in their typically temperate clima…

  • Fladmark + 40: What Have We Learned about a Potential Pacific Coast Peopling of the Americas

    Open AccessT J Braje, Jon M Erlandson et al.ARTICLEAmerican Antiquity2020Cited by: 37References: 111

    Forty years ago, Knut Fladmark (1979) argued that the Pacific Coast offered a viable alternative to the ice-free corridor model for the initial peopling of the Americas-one of the first to support a 'coastal migration theory' that remained marginal for decades. Today, the pre-Clovis occupation at the Monte Verde site is widely accepted, several other pre-Clovis sites are well documented, investigations of terminal Pleistocene subaerial and submer…