Title | Holocene history of the Bering Sea bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in its Beaufort Sea summer grounds off southwestern Victoria Island, western Canadian Arctic
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Author | Dyke, A S; Savelle, J M |
Source | Quaternary Research (New York) 55, 2001 p. 371-379, https://doi.org/10.1006/qres.2001.2228 |
Year | 2001 |
Alt Series | Geological Survey of Canada, Contribution Series 2000069 |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
Document | serial |
Lang. | English |
Media | paper; on-line; digital |
File format | pdf |
Province | Northwest Territories; Northern offshore region |
NTS | 87C/07; 87C/08; 87C/09; 87C/10; 87C/15; 87C/16; 87F/01; 87F/02 |
Area | Victoria Island; Wollaston Peninsula; Beaufort Sea |
Lat/Long WENS | -117.5000 -116.5000 70.2500 69.2500 |
Subjects | paleontology; geochronology; surficial geology/geomorphology; Nature and Environment; fossil assemblages; fossil distribution, geographic; fossil descriptions; carbon-14 dates; Holocene; sea level
changes; glacial history; raised beaches; radiocarbon dates; radiocarbon dating; bowhead whales; climate change; fossil locations; Quaternary |
Illustrations | sketch maps; graphs; tables; histograms |
Released | 2017 01 20 |
Abstract | The fossil remains of 43 bowhead whales were mapped on the raised beaches of western Wollaston Peninsula, Victoria Island, Canadian Arctic, near the historic summer range limit of the Bering Sea stock
in the Beaufort Sea. The elevations and radiocarbon ages of the remains demonstrate that the bowhead ranged commonly into the region following the submergence of Bering Strait at ca. 10,000 14C yr B.P. until ca. 8500 14C yr B.P. During the same
interval, bowheads ranged widely from the Beaufort Sea to Baffin Bay. Subsequently, no whales reached Wollaston Peninsula until ca. 1500 14C yr B.P. Late Holocene populations evidently were small, or occupations were brief, in comparison to those of
the early Holocene. Although the late Holocene recurrence may relate to the expansion of pioneering Thule whalers eastward from Alaska, there are few Thule sites and limited evidence of Thule whaling in the area surveyed to support this
suggestion. |
GEOSCAN ID | 211507 |
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