Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert J. DiNapoli, Enrico R. Crema, Carl P. Lipo, Timothy M. Rieth, Terry L. Hunt
Summary: This study examines how past human populations responded to environmental and climatic changes using summed probability distributions of radiocarbon dates. The researchers propose using Approximate Bayesian Computation to fit complex demographic models to observed SPDs and found that past populations in Rapa Nui were resilient to environmental challenges. The ABC framework offers a novel approach for exploring regions and time periods where questions of climate-induced demographic and cultural change remain unresolved.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Matias Carvajal, Patricio Winckler, Rene Garreaud, Felipe Igualt, Manuel Contreras-Lopez, Pamela Averil, Marco Cisternas, Alejandra Gubler, Wolfgang A. Breuer
Summary: Rapa Nui, located in the Southeast Pacific Ocean, is not only at risk of tsunamis from distant great earthquakes, but also faces frequent and intense coastal storms. Extreme sea levels at Rapa Nui were found to occur more frequently than previously thought, posing a hazard to the island's maritime supply chain. These extreme sea level events are mainly driven by constructive superpositions of seiches on the shelf, storm surges, and high tides.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Nathan J. Steiger, William J. D'Andrea, Jason E. Smerdon, Raymond S. Bradley
Summary: The history of the Polynesian civilization on Rapa Nui reveals the fragile relationship between humans and the environment. This study shows a clear seasonal cycle of precipitation on Rapa Nui, with wet months receiving almost twice as much rainfall as dry months. The occurrence of infrequent, large rain events explains the majority of annual mean precipitation variability. These events are influenced by the position of the south Pacific subtropical anticyclone. With global warming, Rapa Nui is projected to experience an increase in dry years.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Robert J. DiNapoli, Carl P. Lipo, Timothy S. de Smet, Terry L. Hunt
Summary: The research indicates that coastal freshwater seeps are abundant on Rapa Nui and strongly associated with ancient settlement sites. Although information on the differential magnitude or quality of these sources is currently lacking, results from UAS-based TIR show that various ancient settlement sites on the island are linked to different-sized SGD plumes, which are resilient to drought events.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Robert J. DiNapoli, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt
Summary: While the history of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) has often been seen as a cautionary tale of how societies can collapse due to selfish actions and unchecked resource exploitation, new evidence suggests that the island's population was actually sustainable and avoided tragedy of the commons through community practices. This challenges the traditional narrative and presents Rapa Nui as a model for long-term sustainability based on past land-use practices.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Martin Thiel, Barbara Barrera Lorca, Luis Bravo, A. Ivan Hinojosa, Hugo Zeballos Meneses
Summary: The study conducted on a pocket beach on Rapa Nui revealed that plastic litter dominated the stranded litter, most likely originating from high seas fisheries in the South Pacific. The accumulation rates of litter varied depending on the wind direction, with stronger winds from the north leading to higher accumulation.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Virology
Francisca Di Pillo, Cecilia Baumberger, Carla Salazar, Pablo Galdames, Soledad Ruiz, Bridgett Sharp, Pamela Freiden, Shaoyuan Tan, Stacey Schultz-Cherry, Christopher Hamilton-West, Pedro Jimenez-Bluhm
Summary: This study provides the first evidence of avian influenza virus circulation in domestic birds on a Polynesian island and identifies a novel low pathogenic virus. The results reveal the persistence and independent evolution of the virus on the island, enhancing our understanding of avian influenza ecology in the region.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
E. Argiriadis, M. Bortolini, N. M. Kehrwald, M. Roman, C. Turetta, S. Hanif, E. O. Erhenhi, J. M. Ramirez Aliaga, D. B. McWethy, A. E. Myrbo, A. Pauchard, C. Barbante, D. Battistel
Summary: Rano Raraku, the primary quarry for constructing moai statues on Easter Island, has experienced fluctuating lake levels over the centuries. The lake currently exhibits highly anoxic conditions, making it unlikely to have been a viable freshwater source. Human activities, such as the installation of a drainage pipe and horse grazing, have significantly impacted the lake's geochemical conditions in recent decades, emphasizing the sensitivity of lake chemistry to human activities.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Camila Gallardo, Nicolas C. Ory, Maria de los Angeles Gallardo, Marcel Ramos, Luis Bravo, Martin Thiel
Summary: The distribution of plastic debris at the sea surface shows significant variability at different spatial scales, potentially posing ingestion risks for marine organisms. Research indicates that surface slicks serve as aggregation areas for both passive particles and active organisms, playing a crucial ecological role in food retention and particle concentration.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carl P. Lipo, Robert J. DiNapoli, Mark E. Madsen, Terry L. Hunt
Summary: Cultural diversity changes in human populations are influenced by drift, posing evolutionary challenges for small and isolated communities. Social network structure and interaction affect the rate of trait retention and extinction, with structural constraints in small and isolated populations potentially preventing the loss of cultural information.
Article
Environmental Sciences
German Zapata-Hernandez, Javier Sellanes, Praxedes Munoz
Summary: This study uses stable isotope analysis to reveal the absorption and transfer process of land-based diffuse sources by intertidal communities in Rapa Nui. The populations in inhabited areas show significant N-15 enrichment, as well as higher trophic diversity and structural changes.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ignacio Pezoa, Javier Villacreses, Miguel Rubilar, Carolina Pizarro, Maria Jesus Galleguillos, Troy Ejsmentewicz, Beatriz Fonseca, Jaime Espejo, Victor Polanco, Carolina Sanchez
Summary: Sophora toromiro, an endemic tree of Rapa Nui with religious and cultural relevance, is now extinct in the wild but still persists in botanical gardens and private collections worldwide. The study highlights the need for accurate genotyping and certification of selected plants in order to efficiently reintroduce toromiro into its native habitat.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lukasz Peszek, Mateusz Rybak, Horst Lange-Bertalot, John Patrick Kociolek, Andrzej Witkowski
Summary: Rapa Nui is a volcanic island known for its man-made stone statues, and is one of the most isolated inhabited islands on Earth. Studies on the diatoms of Rapa Nui show low diversity dominated by terrestrial forms, with three new Luticola species discovered.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Rosa Vera, Barbara Valverde, Elizabeth Olave, Andres Diaz-Gomez, Rodrigo Sanchez-Gonzalez, Lisa Munoz, Carola Martinez, Paula Rojas
Summary: This study reported on the atmospheric corrosion of copper on a tropical island in the South-Central Pacific Ocean and compared it with a similar study conducted 20 years earlier. The results showed that the corrosion of copper has increased slightly over time, despite the increase in contaminants associated with population growth and tourism on the island.
Article
Geography, Physical
Marco Roman, David B. McWethy, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Evans Osayuki Erhenhi, Amy E. Myrbo, Jose M. Ramirez-Aliaga, Anibal Pauchard, Clara Turetta, Carlo Barbante, Matthew Prebble, Elena Argiriadis, Dario Battistel
Summary: This study reconstructs past changes in lithogenic inputs, weathering processes, redox conditions, productivity and water levels in the Rano Aroi wetland over the last 2000 years. The research provides insight into the complex history of human colonization and environmental interactions on Easter Island.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Sean W. Hixon, Carl P. Lipo, Ben McMorran, Terry L. Hunt
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Anthropology
A. J. White, Lora R. Stevens, Varenka Lorenzi, Samuel E. Munoz, Carl P. Lipo, Sissel Schroeder
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Tanya Brosnan, Matthew W. Becker, Carl P. Lipo
HYDROGEOLOGY JOURNAL
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert J. DiNapoli, Carl P. Lipo, Tanya Brosnan, Terry L. Hunt, Sean Hixon, Alex E. Morrison, Matthew Becker
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Pamela A. Mischen, George C. Homsy, Carl P. Lipo, Robert Holahan, Valerie Imbruce, Andreas Pape, Weixing Zhu, Joseph Graney, Ziang Zhang, Louisa M. Holmes, Manuel Reina
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert J. DiNapoli, Enrico R. Crema, Carl P. Lipo, Timothy M. Rieth, Terry L. Hunt
Summary: This study examines how past human populations responded to environmental and climatic changes using summed probability distributions of radiocarbon dates. The researchers propose using Approximate Bayesian Computation to fit complex demographic models to observed SPDs and found that past populations in Rapa Nui were resilient to environmental challenges. The ABC framework offers a novel approach for exploring regions and time periods where questions of climate-induced demographic and cultural change remain unresolved.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Robert J. DiNapoli, Carl P. Lipo, Timothy S. de Smet, Terry L. Hunt
Summary: The research indicates that coastal freshwater seeps are abundant on Rapa Nui and strongly associated with ancient settlement sites. Although information on the differential magnitude or quality of these sources is currently lacking, results from UAS-based TIR show that various ancient settlement sites on the island are linked to different-sized SGD plumes, which are resilient to drought events.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Robert J. DiNapoli, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt
Summary: While the history of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) has often been seen as a cautionary tale of how societies can collapse due to selfish actions and unchecked resource exploitation, new evidence suggests that the island's population was actually sustainable and avoided tragedy of the commons through community practices. This challenges the traditional narrative and presents Rapa Nui as a model for long-term sustainability based on past land-use practices.
Article
Geography
Pamela A. Mischen, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt
REVISTA DE GEOGRAFIA NORTE GRANDE
(2019)
Article
Anthropology
Sean W. Hexon, Robert J. DiNapoli, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt
JOURNAL OF THE POLYNESIAN SOCIETY
(2019)
Article
Archaeology
Dylan S. Davis, Carl P. Lipo, Matthew C. Sanger
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Archaeology
Sean W. Hixon, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt, Christopher Lee
ADVANCES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRACTICE
(2018)
Article
Anthropology
Catrine L. Jarman, Thomas Larsen, Terry Hunt, Carl Lipo, Reidar Solsvik, Natalie Wallsgrove, Cassie Ka'apu-Lyons, Hilary G. Close, Brian N. Popp
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Anthropology
Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt, Rene Horneman, Vincent Bonhomme
Article
Archaeology
Robert J. DiNapoli, Alex E. Morrison, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt, Brian G. Lane
JOURNAL OF ISLAND & COASTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2018)