Smithsonian: How conservation paleobiology helps restore ecosystems
UC geosciences professor talks about tracking ancient caribou migrations
Smithsonian magazine highlighted an ongoing research project led by a University of Cincinnati ecologist that is tracking ancient caribou across thousands of years and hundreds of miles of Arctic tundra.
Joshua Miller, an assistant professor of geosciences in UC's College of Arts and Sciences, has spent years exploring the wilderness of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to collect ancient antlers, some of which have sat on the tundra undisturbed for thousands of years.
He and his research partners explore river valleys using a rigid inflatable boat before a bush plane picks them up on the coast of the Beaufort Sea.
Miller discovered that caribou have been using the same calving grounds to give birth to their babies for more than 3,000 years.
Female caribou shed their antlers within days of giving birth, leaving behind a record of their annual travels across Alaska and Canada’s Yukon that persists on the cold tundra for hundreds or even thousands of years. Researchers recovered antlers that have sat undisturbed on the arctic tundra since the Bronze Age.
The antlers represent a time capsule of the animal's life, diet and travels across the landscape that Miller and his research partners are unlocking using isotopic analysis.
His research demonstrates how important this part of the refuge is to caribou and highlights the longstanding and historic reliance on the migration among native people who hunt caribou for subsistence.
“You really can walk on the landscape today and get some essence of what caribou were doing thousands of years ago,” Miller told Smithsonian.
But his research shows how generations of caribou dating back millennia in Alaska have relied on the same summer and spring calving grounds.
While the enormous Porcupine herd's summer range has remained stable over time, Miller found that the Central Arctic herd's summer range shifted inland when intense oil development began in the 1980s.
Featured image at top: UC Assistant Professor Joshua Miller holds up a caribou antler he collected in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC
More UC Geosciences in the News
- Yahoo! News: Eyeing the past to restore today's ecosystems
- Alaska Magazine: Search for ancient antlers
- Knowable Magazine: Conservation paleobiology
- Vigour Times: Using fossils to prepare for changing climate
- Billings Gazette: Old antlers help date caribou calving grounds to 3,000 years
Related Stories
Smithsonian: How conservation paleobiology helps restore ecosystems
August 17, 2023
UC Assistant Professor Joshua Miller tells Smithsonian magazine about how he and his research partners tracked ancient caribou over 3,000 years and across hundreds of miles of Arctic tundra.
Local 12: UC investigates potential PFAS contamination in groundwater
May 9, 2024
Local news media highlight UC project to study contamination in groundwater in southwest Ohio.
UC launches new Ohio water study
May 28, 2024
Spectrum News highlights a new UC study of contaminants in groundwater along the Great Miami River.
WDTN: How rare are earthquakes in Ohio?
August 29, 2023
UC Associate Professor Daniel Sturmer tells WDTN-2 that earthquakes are relatively rare in the Midwest.
Newsweek: UC professor explains likelihood of eruption in Iceland
November 27, 2023
UC Professor Thomas Algeo talks to Newsweek about the likelihood of a volcanic eruption that prompted evacuations in Iceland.
The New York Times: Woolly mammoth left diary in her tusk
January 18, 2024
UC paleoecologist Joshua Miller tells the New York Times that by studying mammoth tusks, we can learn more about their diet, environmental changes and ultimately why they went extinct.
Fox19: UC uses fossils to teach kids about environment
March 7, 2024
Fox19 highlights a field trip that fifth and sixth graders from the Clifton Area Neighborhood School took to UC for a visit with geosciences faculty to learn about the environment. The science day was sponsored by UC's Center for Public Engagement with Science.
The Washington Post: Iceland volcano erupts again. Is it normal?
February 9, 2024
UC Professor Thomas Algeo talks to the Washington Post about what to expect from the third volcanic eruption in three months outside Grindavik, Iceland.
WVXU: Why is part of Green Township called Dent?
April 23, 2024
UC College of Arts and Sciences professor tells WVXU that Ohio's glacial past might explain how Dent got its name.
Earth.com: The search for life on Mars continues
February 26, 2024
UC Associate Professor Andy Czaja reflects on what we have learned about Mars three years into Perseverance mission.