Maritime communications have played a vital role in shaping both human cultures and the biogeography of the North Atlantic Realm. This collection of papers explores the diversity of human environments and cultural adaptations present within the eastern part of this region, from Scotland and Norway in the East to Iceland in the West.

The papers explore a number of key themes, including: the origins of flora and fauna of the North Atlantic Realm and the introduction of non-indigenous species in post-glacial periods; the various stages of human colonisation, from the explorations of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in the Hebridean islands to the Norse settlement of the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland during the 8th to 10th centuries AD, and how each stage has had its own ecological characteristics and consequences for indigenous flora and fauna; the influence of climatic variability and extreme episodic events on local environments and human settlement patterns; and the establishment and development of human exchange and trade networks and how these have affected the range of resources available for human exploitation.These papers were presented at the first joint meeting of the Association for Environmental Archaeology (AEA) and the North Atlantic Bio-cultural Organisation (NABO), which was held at Glasgow University in March 2001.

Preface. Atlantic connections and adaptations: Economies, environments and subsistence in the North Atlantic Realm (Geraint Coles and Rupert A Housley)
Section A: Atlantic Mainland Scotland. Holocene climatic variability and human settlement in the Scottish Highlands: Fragility and robustness (Althea L Davies, Eileen Tisdall and Richard Tipping)
A high-resolution study of human impact and land use around the first millennium AD royal centre at Dunadd, Argyll (Rupert A Housley, Ewan N Campbell, Jennifer J Miller and Susan Ramsay). Section B: The Scottish Western Isles. The archaeological landscape of South Uist (Niall Sharples, Mike Parker Pearson and Jim Symonds)
Resource management in the Outer Hebrides: An assessment of the faunal and floral evidence from archaeological investigations (Helen Smith and Jacqui Mulville)
Charred food residues from Hebridean Iron Age pottery: Analysis and dating (Ewan Campbell, Rupert A Housley and Marcia Taylor)
Application of mineral magnetism in Atlantic Scotland archaeology 1: Techniques, magnetic enhancement and the identification of fuel sources (Clare Peters, Michael J Church and Catherine M Batt)
Application of mineral magnetism in Atlantic Scotland archaeology 2: Magnetic susceptibility and archaeobotanical taphonomy in West Lewis, Scotland (Michael J Church and Clare Peters). Section C: The Scottish Northern Isles. The origin of the Orkney Vole Microtus arvalis orcadensis: A proxy for reconstruction human movements (Susan Haynes, Maarit Jaarola, Jeremy B Searle and Keith M Dobney)
Form and function in Shetland prehistoric field systems (Val Turner, Fiona Chrystall, Ian A Simpson and Erika Guttmann)
Power over time: An overview of the Old Scatness Broch excavations (Stephen J Dockrill and Cathy M Batt)
Bringing in the Sheaves: Farming intensification in the post-broch Iron Age (Julie M Bond, Erika Guttmann and Ian A Simpson)
Exploring links: Preliminary investigations into marine resources and ceramics from Old Scatness, Shetland (Louise D Brown and Carl P Heron)
Iron Age fishing in the Northern Isles: The evolution of a stored product? (Rebecca A Nicholson)
Butter as an economic resource in the Northern Isles (Carl Challinor)
Set in stone: Experimental construction of a wheelhouse (Laurence B Malcolmson, Helen S Bowstead Stallybrass and Stephen J Dockrill). Section D: Iceland. The Holocene development of the Icelandic biota and its palaeoclimatic significance (Chris Caseldine, Mark Dinnin, Dawn Hendon and Pete Langdon)
Recent investigations at Hofstadir, northern Iceland (Adolf Fridriksson, Orri Vesteinsson, Thomas H McGovern)
Farming and maritime resources at Midbaer on Flatey in Breidafjordur, NW Iceland (Colin P Amundsen)
The Viking settlement of northern Iceland: A preliminary zooarchaeological analysis (Clayton M Tinsley). Section E: North Atlantic Networks. North Atlantic networks: Preliminary research into the trade of steatite in the Viking and Norse periods (Amanda K Forster and Julie M Bond)
How the north was won (and lost again): Historical and archaeological data on the exploitation of the North Atlantic by the Flemish fishery (Anton Ervynck, Wim Van Neer and Marnix Pieters)
Cod and ships: Scottish merchant activity in southern Shetland in the 17th century (Nigel D Melton). Section F: Looking Fore and Aft. North Atlantic Biocultural Organization (NABO) 10 years on: Science, education, and community (Thomas H McGovern)
Landscapes circum-Landnam: Viking settlement in the North Atlantic and its human and ecological consequences - a major new research programme (Kevin J Edwards, Paul C Buckland, Andrew J Dugmore, Thomas H McGovern, Ian A Simpson and Gudrun Sveinbjarnardottir).