Recent research on the Bering Glacier forelands in the northern Gulf of Alaska provides new insights into late Pleistocene/early Holocene shorelines, providing a favorable route for human migration as early as ~16,000 cal yr BP. This route included an irregular coastline with embayments and islands offering protection from the open ocean; edible marine invertebrates dating from 15,000 to 5,500 cal yr BP; and marine vertebrates dating as early as 16,000 cal yr BP. The latter included walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), and ringed seal (Phoca cf. hispida), all associated with pack ice conditions unlike those present today. While this ecosystem could have supported humans migrating along the coastline, and coastal refugia may have existed elsewhere in the region, coastal archaeological sites in the northern Gulf of Alaska and southwest Alaska are no older than ~9,500 cal yr BP. This suggests that the earliest sites have been eroded or destroyed, that the earliest migrants ignored available marine resources, and/or that these migrants did not use a coastal route. In contrast, the earliest archaeological sites in southeast Alaska date to ~12,500 cal yr BP, suggesting migration from interior Alaska to the coast somewhere east of the Copper River delta.

中文翻译：

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白令冰川前陆晚更新世海洋资源与阿拉斯加湾北部地区人类沿海迁徙

最近对阿拉斯加湾北部白令冰川前陆的研究为了解晚更新世/早全新世海岸线提供了新的见解，为早在约 16,000 cal yr BP 的人类迁徙提供了有利的途径。这条路线包括一条不规则的海岸线，有海湾和岛屿，可以抵御公海；可食用的海洋无脊椎动物，年代从 15,000 到 5,500 cal yr BP；和早在 16,000 cal yr BP 的海洋脊椎动物。后者包括海象（迷迭香), 胡须海豹 (刺猬) 和环形密封件 (福卡参看。硬毛)，所有这些都与浮冰条件有关，与今天的情况不同。虽然这个生态系统可以支持人类沿海岸线迁移，并且该地区其他地方可能存在沿海避难所，但阿拉斯加湾北部和阿拉斯加西南部的沿海考古遗址的历史不超过约 9,500 cal yr BP。这表明最早的遗址已被侵蚀或破坏，最早的移民忽视了可用的海洋资源，和/或这些移民没有使用沿海路线。相比之下，阿拉斯加东南部最早的考古遗址可追溯到约 12,500 cal yr BP，这表明从阿拉斯加内陆迁移到铜河三角洲以东的海岸。