ARCTIC An Early Holocene Bowhead Whale (Buluena mysticetus) in Nansen Sound, Canadian Arctic Archipelago

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1989
• Subjects: Arctic; Baleine; Canadian Arctic Archipelago; Heiberg; la Baleine; Nansen Sound; Arctic Archipelago; Arctique*; Balaena mysticetus; baleine boréale; bowhead whale
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.509.6775; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic43-1-50.pdf

ABSTRACT. At about 10 O00 B.P. northern Axel Heiberg and Ellesmere islands underwent a climatic amelioration that caused the demise of the last glaciation. Generally, by8000B.P. accelerated retreat leftextensivecoastalareas ice free. Theoccurrenceof anearly Holocene (7475tZZOB.P.) bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus L.) skeleton several hundred kilometres north of its present range concurs with other biological and glaciological evidence to indicate that the early Holocene climate in the High Arctic was less evere than at present. Key words: bowhead whale, early Holocene, Nansen Sound, Canadian High Arctic RÉSUMÉ. Une amélioration climatique aux envirns de 10 O00 ans B.P. mit fin à la dernière glaciation au nord de l'île Axel Heiberg et dans l'île d'Ellesmere. Une acceleration du retrait glacière 8000 ans B.P. libera de vastes zones côtières. La présence au début de l'Holocène (7475tZ20 B.P.) de la baleine boréale (Balaena mysticetus L.) plusieurs centaines de kilomètres au nord de son extension actuelle confirme avec d'autres evidences que le climat de l'Arctique septentrional était moins rigoureux au début de l'Holocène qu'actuellement. Mots clés: Baleine boréale, Holocène inférieur, Nansen Sound, Arctique canadien septentrional INTRODUCTION the bowhead whale (Buluena mysticetus L.) that further sub-stantiates the early Holocene warm interval. Glaciological evidence indicates that the climate in the High The culmination of the last glaciation on northern Elles-Arctic immediately following the last glaciation was warmer mere and Axel Heiberg islands (Fig. 1) occurred some time than it is today. This postglacial climatic optimum was fol- prior to 10 ka B.P. During this time glaciers advanced up to 40