March 27, 2018: MA Anthropology thesis, 'Salt and Sweat: The History and Archaeology of Desalination on Wake Atoll,' by Carrie Cecil

MA Anthropology thesis: "Salt and Sweat: The History and Archaeology of Desalination on Wake Atoll" by Carrie Cecil Tuesday, March 27, 4-5:30 p.m. Beatrice McDonald Hall, Room 239

Wake Atoll is a small, tropical atoll located between Hawai'i and the Philippines. It has no natural source of fresh water. To sustain long-term occupation of the atoll, inhabitants have had to manufacture potable water using desalination systems. Using the concept of sociotechnical systems, this thesis examines the history and archaeology of desalination system implementation on Wake Atoll to document the social and political factors that came to inform desalination practice. Research for this thesis combined an archaeological survey of the material remains of Wake's desalination systems, conducted in May 2016, with archival research into historical documents, photographs, and as-built drawings. This study revealed patterns in the design, use, and adaptation of desalination facilities over time and how the construction and implementation of these systems was as much driven by social, economic, and political factors as mechanical ones. Each shift in the atoll's administration and use was accompanied by the subsequent construction of a new desalination facility, regardless of the functionality of the existing system. The result is a collection of ten historical desalination facilities scattered across the atoll in varying states of disrepair and deterioration.

March Archive