MARINE RESERVOIR EFFECT OF SPERMACETI, A WAX OBTAINED FROM THE HEAD OF THE SPERM WHALE: A FIRST ESTIMATION FROM MUSEUM SPECIMENS

• Published in: Radiocarbon
• Main Authors: Beck, Lucile, Caffy, Ingrid, Delque-Količ, Emmanuelle, Dumoulin, Jean-Pascal, Hain, Stéphane, Moreau, Christophe, Perron, Marion, Sieudat, Marc, Thellier, Bruno, van Hove, Charlotte
• Other Authors: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Laboratoire de mesure du carbone 14 (LMC14 - UMS 2572), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN)-Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces; environment; Catodon; Physeter macrocephalus; Sperm whale
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03866897; https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2022.79

International audience ABSTRACT Spermaceti is a waxy substance found in the head cavities of sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus and P. catodon ). This substance had a variety of commercial applications from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century, such as candles, soap, cosmetics...