MARINE RESERVOIR EFFECTS IN SEAL (PHOCIDAE) BONES IN THE NORTHERN BERING AND CHUKCHI SEAS, NORTHWESTERN ALASKA

ABSTRACT We explore marine reservoir effects (MREs) in seal bones from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas regions. Ringed and bearded seals have served as dietary staples in human populations along the coasts of Arctic northeast Asia and North America for several millennia. Radiocarbon ( 14 C) dat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiocarbon
Main Authors: Reuther, Joshua, Shirar, Scott, Mason, Owen, Anderson, Shelby L, Coltrain, Joan B, Freeburg, Adam, Bowers, Peter, Alix, Claire, Darwent, Christyann M, Norman, Lauren
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2020
Subjects:
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Archeology
Arctic
Bering Sea
Bering Strait
Chukchi
Alaska
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/rdc.2020.127
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033822220001277
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Summary:ABSTRACT We explore marine reservoir effects (MREs) in seal bones from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas regions. Ringed and bearded seals have served as dietary staples in human populations along the coasts of Arctic northeast Asia and North America for several millennia. Radiocarbon ( 14 C) dates on seal bones and terrestrial materials (caribou, plants seeds, wood, and wood charcoal) were compared from archaeological sites in the Bering Strait region of northwestern Alaska to assess MREs in these sea mammals over time. We also compared these results to 14 C dates on modern seal specimens collected in AD 1932 and 1946 from the Bering Sea region. Our paired archaeological samples were recovered from late Holocene archaeological features, including floors from dwellings and cache pits, that date between 1600 and 130 cal BP. 14 C dates on seal bones from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas show differences [R(t)] of 800 ± 140 years from to their terrestrial counterparts, and deviations of 404 ± 112 years (ΔR) from the marine calibration curve.

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