Observations of walruses along the Norwegian coast 1967–1992

Extralimital observations of walruses are known to be quite common in Norway. The present review covers observations of walruses along the Norwegian coast between 1967 and 1992. A total of 34 different walruses have been recorded observed since 1967. These observations indicate a significant increase in the number of walrus observations in recent years, most likely due to an increase in the walrus population in the Barents Sea area. Most of the walruses observed are assumed to be subadult males.     

Aerial strip surveys of polar bears in the Barents Sea

Aerial strip surveys of polar bears in the Barents Sea were performed by helicopter in winter 1987. The number of bears within 100 m on each side of the helicopter was counted. A total of 263.6 km² was surveyed and 21 bears were counted. Most of the bears were found in the southern part of the area, which indicates that the southwestern ice edge area in the Barents Sea is a very important winter habitat for polar bears.     

The first Holocene relative sea-level curve from the middle part of Hardangerfjorden, western Norway

Romundset, A., Lohne, Ø. S., Mangerud, J. & Svendsen, J. I. 2009: The first Holocene relative sea-level curve from the middle part of Hardangerfjorden, western Norway. Boreas , 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2009.00108.x. ISSN 0300-9483.
The first relative sea-level (RSL) curve from the mid-Hardangerfjorden area covering the entire Holocene is presented. The curve is based on a series of AMS ¹⁴C dates on terrestrial plant macrofossils across the isolation level in each of five lakes located between 3.5 and 74.5 m a.s.l. During the first 1200 years, the RSL fell very rapidly from the marine limit at 98 m a.s.l. to 33 m a.s.l., i.e. at a rate of 5.4 cm yr⁻¹. The emergence rate then slowed considerably and was close to standstill 8000–6500 cal. yr BP. However, an emergence of 16.5 m has taken place during the past 6000 years. Radiocarbon dates of terrestrial plant macrofossils from the basal strata in a lake above the marine limit and mollusc shells from glaciomarine silt in the isolation basins yielded a mean age for the local ice-margin retreat of 11 300 cal. yr BP. This verifies that Hardangerfjorden was glaciated during the Younger Dryas – an interpretation that has recently been disputed. The ice margin retreated at a rate of about 300 m yr⁻¹ from the position of the Younger Dryas moraine to this site some 60 km further into the fjord.     

Holocene brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) from Norwegian caves

Norwegian caves contain stratigraphical information regarding the historical faunal composition valuable in the assessment of postglacial colonization and phylogeographical structure. In some of these limestone caves, brown bear ( Ursus arctos L.) remains have been excavated and radiometrically dated. We present osteology (95 traits defined) from 29 brown bears found within 22 Norwegian caves above 658N. Our data span the time interval 6210–420 ¹⁴C yr BP. The sex of individuals was based on dimorphic canines, while age was determined by cementum analysis and body size estimated from regressions between morphological traits compared to a contemporary reference collection. Five females and 14 males were recognized, while the remaining bears could not be sexed because of their small size, low age or lack of canines. The ages of 26 bears (tooth cementum age and estimates) ranged from juveniles (<0.5 year) to adults (23 years), the majority being old animals. Both sexes have used these caves for over-wintering lairs, as seen in several caves, where denning is also suggested based on the observations of adult females and cubs. There were no signs of predator or human transported bear remains, suggesting natural mortality. The age of the bears suggests that young or old bears may have died from insufficient nutrient storage, environmental harshness, or may have drowned in spring or autumnal flooding. We conclude that Norwegian brown bears have used these caves sporadically for thousands of years, which suggests that caves are not a preferred site for the brown bear during hibernation or denning.     

Past glaciation and sea levels on Bjørnøya, Svalbard

Bjørnøya has a very thin cover of unconsolidated Quaternary sediments. Glacial erratics of local origin are spread throughout the lowland areas, and glacial striae indicate glacial movement which was centred middle of the island. No traces of the Barents Sea ice sheet have been observed on Bjørnøya, nor has there been any postglacial emergence of the island. Lake cores date the deglaciation of the lowlands to ca 10,000 BP, and peat deposits on high mountains show that these were deglaciated before 8700 bp.