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Holocene History of the Bering Sea Bowhead Whale (Balaena Mysticetus) in Its Beaufort Sea Summer Grounds off Southwestern Victoria Island, Western Canadian Arctic1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Arthur S. Dyke  and
James M. Savelle
Arthur S. Dyke
Affiliation:
Terrain Sciences Division, Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth St. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0E8, E-mail: adyke@nrcan.gc.ca
James M. Savelle
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, McGill University, 855 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2T7
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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.

Keywords

Bowhead whale fossilsBeaufort SeaHolocene climate changeArctic sea-ice historyThule culturesea-level change
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 55 , Issue 3 , May 2001 , pp. 371 - 379
Copyright
University of Washington

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Footnotes

1

Geological Survey of Canada contribution 2000069.

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