Dynamics of sea mammal and bird populations of the Bering Sea region over the last several millennia

Abstract

The secular dynamics of sea mammal and bird populations of the Bering Sea region over the last several millennia are reconstructed. We identify osteological material from the cultural layers of ancient sea-mammal hunter settlements as well as natural deposits in Chukotka, Kamchatka, and the Aleutian and Commandor Islands. Changes in species composition of mammals and birds of this region are identified. Climatic changes are reconstructed from complex investigations of peat and coastal deposits in Chukotka and the Aleutian Islands. All material was radiocarbon dated (about 400 dates). It was found that the main factors affecting the dynamics of sea mammal and bird populations in the northern part of the region over the last several thousand years were summer precipitation and sea ice conditions, whereas in the southern part, precipitation and summer temperature dominated.