Marine reservoir corrections for bowhead whale radiocarbon age determinations

Dyke, Arthur S.; McNeely, R; Hooper, James A.

doi:10.1139/e96-123

Cited by 39 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Finally, there is reason to question whether age determinations from marine shell and those from marine vertebrates manifest the same magnitude of departure from determinations derived from terrestrial organisms (e.g., Dyke et al, 1996;Ingram and Southon, 1996). As we show here, samples from Nunivak Island appear to demonstrate a significant difference in this respect, with determinations from shell slightly closer to those from terrestrial materials, although substantially more variant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 46%

“…Dyke et al (1996, with additional references) minimize the problem of old wood, pointing out (among other things) that wood not locked in ice will remain buoyant for less than two years. Thus, whereas the use of driftwood may not be problematic enough to eliminate its use for dating, the possibility remains in the North that wood found in sites in treeless areas had been frozen in along the shores for some years before collected, or that such wood consists of only the inner rings of what were once larger tree trunks.…”

Section: St Lawrence Islandmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measurements of the Marine Reservoir Effect on Radiocarbon Ages in the Eastern Bering Sea

Dumond¹,

Griffin²

2002

ARCTIC

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ABSTRACT. The marine reservoir effect is known to skew radiocarbon dating (marine samples appear "older" than terrestrial samples of equivalent age), but the magnitude of this effect is not the same in all locations. Carbon-14 age determinations from 23 paired samples of terrestrial and marine origin are presented for five areas around the northern and eastern Bering Sea. It appears statistically suitable to average the age differences for three pairs, weighted inversely by variance. Differences from within each of 14 pairs of wood charcoal vs. sea mammal residue (from St. Lawrence Island, Cape Prince of Wales, Nunivak Island, Alaska Peninsula, and Unalaska Island) yield a weighted mean of 737 ± 20 years. Somewhat more variant differences from within each of five additional pairs of wood charcoal vs. sea mammal residue (St. Lawrence Island, Unalaska Island) provide a lower weighted mean of 460 ± 41 years. Differences from within each of four pairs of wood charcoal vs. marine shell (Nunivak Island) produce a weighted mean of 459 ± 32 years. Variations in these apparent reservoir effects presumably result largely from the interplay of differential ocean water upwelling and customary faunal feeding areas, although possible effects of other species characteristics cannot be ruled out. Dating of marine samples from the Bering Sea should thus either proceed with the expectation that age determinations may not be accurate within several centuries, or be approached through experimental measurement of reservoir effect among restricted faunal species in limited areas. Overall, the effect throughout the eastern Bering Sea appears to range from about 450 to 750 years.Key words: Alaska, Bering Sea, reservoir effect, radiocarbon, differential ages, archaeology, shell, marine mammal RÉSUMÉ. On sait que l'effet du réservoir marin biaise la datation au radiocarbone (les échantillons marins semblent être «plus vieux» que les échantillons terrestres d'âge similaire), mais la grandeur de cet effet n'est pas la même à tous les endroits. On présente les déterminations de l'âge au carbone 14 pour 23 échantillons appariés d'origine terrestre et marine provenant de cinq zones situées aux environs de la mer de Béring septentrionale et orientale. Il semble approprié sur le plan statistique d'établir la moyenne des différences d'âge pour trois paires, pondérées inversement par la variance. Les différences provenant de chacune des 14 paires de charbon de bois comparé à des restes de mammifère marin (île Saint-Laurent, cap Prince-de-Galles, île Nunivak, péninsule d'Alaska, et île Unalaska) donnent une moyenne pondérée de 737 ± 20 ans. Des différences un peu plus variables provenant de chacune de cinq autres paires de charbon de bois comparé à des restes de mammifère marin (île Saint-Laurent, île Unalaska) donnent une moyenne pondérée plus faible de 460 ± 41 ans. Les différences entre chacune des quatre paires de charbon de bois comparé à des coquillages marins (île Nunivak) donnent une moyenne pondérée de 459 ± 32 ans. Les variations dans ce...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 46%

Section: St Lawrence Islandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurements of the Marine Reservoir Effect on Radiocarbon Ages in the Eastern Bering Sea

Dumond¹,

Griffin²

2002

ARCTIC

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“…The ages are reported as conventionally normalized for carbon fractionation and without a marine reservoir adjustment. The latter adjustment would reduce the ages by two or more centuries (e.g., Dyke et al, 1996b). The general sparsity of bones, along with the results of the radiocarbon dating (Table 2) and the age estimates (based on regional sea-level history) for the undated samples (Table 1), suggests that bowheads rarely ranged into this region during the last 4 ka (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Canada's Most Northerly Postglacial Bowhead Whales (<i>Balaena mysticetus</i>) : Holocene Sea-ice Conditions and Polynya Development

Dyke¹,

England²

2003

ARCTIC

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ABSTRACT. Rare remains of postglacial bowhead whales occur in the Norwegian Bay-Eureka Sound region. These are the northernmost remains known from the Canadian Arctic. The region is beyond the bowhead's current range because of persistent summer sea ice. We argue that the region has been beyond the bowhead's range for most of postglacial time for the same reason. With one exception, the 16 known subfossil bowheads from the region date to the last 4000 14 C years. Within the region, whale bones are most common adjacent to polynyas, which connect to more southerly channels extending from Baffin Bay. This distribution suggests that the polynyas, which here occupy areas of strong currents, developed as a result of shallowing of interisland channels due to postglacial uplift. The whale remains beyond the polynyas are seen as those of doomed strays that reached the polynyas from Baffin Bay and foraged farther along coastal leads before being trapped by freeze-up. This interpretation of Holocene sea-ice history agrees with the limited development of Holocene raised beaches in the region. However, it contradicts other interpretations of greatly ameliorated marine conditions in northernmost Canada at about 6000 14 C years B.P.Key words: Holocene bowhead whale, Arctic Ocean, sea-ice paleoclimate, Canadian Arctic Archipelago RÉSUMÉ. La région de la baie Norwegian et du détroit d'Eureka abrite un petit nombre de restes organiques de baleines boréales postglaciaires. Ce sont les restes trouvés le plus au nord de l'Arctique canadien. Cette zone est située en dehors du territoire actuel de la baleine boréale en raison de la présence constante de glace marine estivale. On soutient que la région s'est trouvée en dehors du territoire de la baleine boréale durant la plus grande partie de la période postglaciaire, et ce, pour la même raison. À une exception près, les 16 baleines boréales subfossiles qui ont été découvertes dans cette zone datent des 4000 dernières années (âge radiocarbone). Dans la région, les os de baleines se trouvent en plus grand nombre au voisinage immédiat de polynies, celles-ci étant reliées à des chenaux plus méridionaux qui sinuent depuis la baie de Baffin. Cette distribution suggère que les polynies, qui occupent ici des zones de courants forts, se sont formées à la suite d'une diminution de la profondeur des chenaux séparant les îles provoquée par un soulèvement postglaciaire. On pense que les restes de baleines qui se trouvent en dehors des polynies appartiennent à des baleines qui ont rejoint les polynies depuis la baie de Baffin et qui se sont égarées plus loin en quête de nourriture le long des passages côtiers avant d'être bloquées par les glaces. Cette interprétation de l'histoire de la glace marine de l'holocène concorde avec l'évolution restreinte des plages soulevées de la région, qui datent de l'holocène. Elle contredit toutefois d'autres interprétations de conditions marines nettement améliorées dans l'extrême nord du Canada il y a environ 6000 ans (âge radiocarbone) BP.Mots clés: baleine boré...

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“…The results in Supplementary Table S2 were calibrated using the INTCAL09 Marine modelled curve 46 . Accounting for a reliable reservoir offset is difficult, as the reservoir may vary through time in single locations and the mammals themselves are migratory species and their protein intake varies, and probably crosses different reservoirs 47 . For this reason we have corrected the radiocarbon dates using a delta-R value of 0 and estimated an uncertainty of 40 years.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient DNA reveals that bowhead whale lineages survived Late Pleistocene climate change and habitat shifts

et al. 2013

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The climatic changes of the glacial cycles are thought to have been a major driver of population declines and species extinctions. However, studies to date have focused on terrestrial fauna and there is little understanding of how marine species responded to past climate change. Here we show that a true Arctic species, the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), shifted its range and tracked its core suitable habitat northwards during the rapid climate change of the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Late Pleistocene lineages survived into the Holocene and effective female population size increased rapidly, concurrent with a threefold increase in core suitable habitat. This study highlights that responses to climate change are likely to be species specific and difficult to predict. We estimate that the core suitable habitat of bowhead whales will be almost halved by the end of this century, potentially influencing future population dynamics.

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Marine reservoir corrections for bowhead whale radiocarbon age determinations

Cited by 39 publications

References 16 publications

Measurements of the Marine Reservoir Effect on Radiocarbon Ages in the Eastern Bering Sea

Measurements of the Marine Reservoir Effect on Radiocarbon Ages in the Eastern Bering Sea

Canada's Most Northerly Postglacial Bowhead Whales (<i>Balaena mysticetus</i>) : Holocene Sea-ice Conditions and Polynya Development

Ancient DNA reveals that bowhead whale lineages survived Late Pleistocene climate change and habitat shifts

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