Question

source: dennis b. blanton, \jamestowns environment,\ center for archaeological research, college of william and mary, 2000. many people have commented over the last four centuries on the qualities of jamestowns environment.... because the adjacent river and creeks became brackish as water levels rose, reliable sources of fresh water would have been scarce by the seven - teenth century. english colonists dug shallow wells to supply themselves with sources of drinking water, but these were vulnerable to drought and salt water intrusion. also, historian carville v. earle attributed... disease in the early years to jamestowns position at the salt - fresh water transition, where filth introduced into the river tended to fester rather than flush away. the island is not situated at a point of great natural food abundance, especially relative to other locations very close by.... fish are present in local streams, but only in the spring and early summer are they there in impressive abundance.... document analysis 1. using context clues, what do you think is meant by brackish water? 2. what twice daily event would cause water levels around jamestown to rise and cause wells and fresh water streams to become brackish? (hint: the moon) 3. according to carville earle, what happened to human waste that got dumped into the river? 4. what inference can you make about the effect of tides on health in jamestown? 5. consider the last paragraph. what time of the year do you think starvation was most likely to happen?

Explanation:

1. Context clues suggest it's water with some salt content, as it contrasts with fresh water and is related to salt - water intrusion.
2. Tides, which are influenced by the moon's gravitational pull, twice - daily cause water level changes.
3. According to Carville Earle, human waste dumped into the river festered rather than flushed away due to Jamestown's position at the salt - fresh water transition.
4. Tides could have brought in brackish water, contaminated fresh water sources, and potentially spread diseases, negatively impacting health.
5. Starvation was most likely to happen outside of spring and early summer when fish abundance was low and natural food sources were scarce.

Answer:

1. Water with some salt content.
2. Tides.
3. It festered rather than flushed away.
4. Tides negatively impacted health by contaminating water and spreading disease.
5. Outside of spring and early summer.