Holocene elephant seal distribution implies warmer-than-present climate in the Ross Sea

We show that southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) colonies existed proximate to the Ross Ice Shelf during the Holocene, well south of their core sub-Antarctic breeding and molting grounds. We propose that this was due to warming (including a previously unrecognized period from _1,100 to 2,300 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Main Authors: HALL B. L, HOELZEL A. R, BARONI C, DENTON G. H, LE BOEUF B. J, OVERTURF B., TOEPF A. L
Other Authors: Hall, B. L., Hoelzel, A. R., Baroni, C, Denton, G. H., LE BOEUF, B. J., Overturf, B., Toepf, A. L.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2006
Subjects:
Southern Elephant Seal
Adélie Penguin
Climate change
Holocene
Victoria Land
Antarctica
Antarctic
Ross Ice Shelf
Ross Sea
Antarc*
Elephant Seal
Ice Shelf
Mirounga leonina
Sea ice
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11568/101965
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0604002103
Description
Summary:We show that southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) colonies existed proximate to the Ross Ice Shelf during the Holocene, well south of their core sub-Antarctic breeding and molting grounds. We propose that this was due to warming (including a previously unrecognized period from _1,100 to 2,300 14C yr B.P.) that decreased coastal sea ice and allowed penetration of warmer-thanpresent climate conditions into the Ross Embayment. If, as proposed in the literature, the ice shelf survived this period, it would have been exposed to environments substantially warmer than present.

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