An ∼1100 yr record of human and seabird occupation in the High Arctic inferred from pond sediments

Abstract

Abstract Seabirds in the Canadian Arctic congregate in large colonies, producing oases of biological productivity and diversity in coastal regions. Here, we examined sterols, stanols, and stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) in three 14C-dated pond sediment cores near a large seabird colony and archaeological site on Devon Island (Nunavut, Canada), showing historical occupation by the seabirds and an ancient human (Thule or Norse) settlement over an ∼1100 yr time period. Coprostanol in the sediment records captures the presence of humans at ca. 1150 CE, followed by their abandonment of the site by ca. 1300 CE. Increased seabird presence at this site after ca.1200 CE is indicated by increases in δ15N and cholesterol/sitosterol. Seabird population expansion is observed after ca. 1600 CE in δ15N and cholesterol/sitosterol profiles, coinciding with European whaling activities that expanded in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. Our study provides insights into human and seabird occupation in the High Arctic to inform archaeological and conservation efforts.