Palaeoecological Implications of Archaeological Seal Bone Assemblages: Case Studies from Labrador and Baffin Island
. In recent years, increasing scientific attention has been paid to sea mammals as biological indicators of Arctic environmental change. The usefulness of animals such as ringed seal (Phoca hispida), harp seal (Phoca groenlandica), bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina...
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ftuninhampshire:oai:scholars.unh.edu:earthsci_facpub-1514 2023-05-15T15:08:21+02:00 Palaeoecological Implications of Archaeological Seal Bone Assemblages: Case Studies from Labrador and Baffin Island Woollett, James M Henshaw, Anne S. Wake, Cameron P 2000-12-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://scholars.unh.edu/earthsci_facpub/515 https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1514&context=earthsci_facpub unknown University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository https://scholars.unh.edu/earthsci_facpub/515 https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1514&context=earthsci_facpub Earth Sciences Scholarship text 2000 ftuninhampshire 2023-01-30T21:35:20Z . In recent years, increasing scientific attention has been paid to sea mammals as biological indicators of Arctic environmental change. The usefulness of animals such as ringed seal (Phoca hispida), harp seal (Phoca groenlandica), bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) as indicator species is due to the close relationship of their range, reproductive cycles, and life histories to sea ice. The behaviour and distribution of these species correlate with ice conditions in the areas where the animals are encountered. The proportions of seal species represented in archaeological deposits may therefore reflect, at least in part, environmental conditions characterizing past seascapes. This paper examines zooarchaeological data from several Thule and historic Inuit archaeological sites in Baffin Island and Labrador, sites occupied during the last 700 years, to determine whether regional relationships can be demonstrated between subsistence economies, seal populations, and sea ice conditions. Ratios of ringed seal, harbour seal, bearded seal, and walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) bone frequencies from several archaeological sites are analyzed and discussed in light of new highresolution proxy sea ice and regional palaeoenvironmental data. This exploratory study suggests that characteristics in seal species composition reflected in these assemblages can, in some circumstances, be correlated with recent sea ice reconstructions. However, a regional comparison of a larger number of more precisely dated archaeological sites is required for a full examination of these relationships. Text Arctic Baffin Island Baffin bearded seal Erignathus barbatus harbour seal Harp Seal inuit Odobenus rosmarus Phoca groenlandica Phoca hispida Phoca vitulina ringed seal Sea ice walrus* University of New Hampshire: Scholars Repository Arctic Baffin Island |
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University of New Hampshire: Scholars Repository |
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ftuninhampshire |
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description |
. In recent years, increasing scientific attention has been paid to sea mammals as biological indicators of Arctic environmental change. The usefulness of animals such as ringed seal (Phoca hispida), harp seal (Phoca groenlandica), bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) as indicator species is due to the close relationship of their range, reproductive cycles, and life histories to sea ice. The behaviour and distribution of these species correlate with ice conditions in the areas where the animals are encountered. The proportions of seal species represented in archaeological deposits may therefore reflect, at least in part, environmental conditions characterizing past seascapes. This paper examines zooarchaeological data from several Thule and historic Inuit archaeological sites in Baffin Island and Labrador, sites occupied during the last 700 years, to determine whether regional relationships can be demonstrated between subsistence economies, seal populations, and sea ice conditions. Ratios of ringed seal, harbour seal, bearded seal, and walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) bone frequencies from several archaeological sites are analyzed and discussed in light of new highresolution proxy sea ice and regional palaeoenvironmental data. This exploratory study suggests that characteristics in seal species composition reflected in these assemblages can, in some circumstances, be correlated with recent sea ice reconstructions. However, a regional comparison of a larger number of more precisely dated archaeological sites is required for a full examination of these relationships. |
format |
Text |
author |
Woollett, James M Henshaw, Anne S. Wake, Cameron P |
spellingShingle |
Woollett, James M Henshaw, Anne S. Wake, Cameron P Palaeoecological Implications of Archaeological Seal Bone Assemblages: Case Studies from Labrador and Baffin Island |
author_facet |
Woollett, James M Henshaw, Anne S. Wake, Cameron P |
author_sort |
Woollett, James M |
title |
Palaeoecological Implications of Archaeological Seal Bone Assemblages: Case Studies from Labrador and Baffin Island |
title_short |
Palaeoecological Implications of Archaeological Seal Bone Assemblages: Case Studies from Labrador and Baffin Island |
title_full |
Palaeoecological Implications of Archaeological Seal Bone Assemblages: Case Studies from Labrador and Baffin Island |
title_fullStr |
Palaeoecological Implications of Archaeological Seal Bone Assemblages: Case Studies from Labrador and Baffin Island |
title_full_unstemmed |
Palaeoecological Implications of Archaeological Seal Bone Assemblages: Case Studies from Labrador and Baffin Island |
title_sort |
palaeoecological implications of archaeological seal bone assemblages: case studies from labrador and baffin island |
publisher |
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository |
publishDate |
2000 |
url |
https://scholars.unh.edu/earthsci_facpub/515 https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1514&context=earthsci_facpub |
geographic |
Arctic Baffin Island |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Baffin Island |
genre |
Arctic Baffin Island Baffin bearded seal Erignathus barbatus harbour seal Harp Seal inuit Odobenus rosmarus Phoca groenlandica Phoca hispida Phoca vitulina ringed seal Sea ice walrus* |
genre_facet |
Arctic Baffin Island Baffin bearded seal Erignathus barbatus harbour seal Harp Seal inuit Odobenus rosmarus Phoca groenlandica Phoca hispida Phoca vitulina ringed seal Sea ice walrus* |
op_source |
Earth Sciences Scholarship |
op_relation |
https://scholars.unh.edu/earthsci_facpub/515 https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1514&context=earthsci_facpub |
_version_ |
1766339723769413632 |