Beringia and UV Levels during the Last Glacial Maximum (IMAGE)
Caption
Fig. 1. Geography of Beringia and levels of UV radiation. (A) Map of Beringia today. Cross-hatching indicates the region in which levels of UVMED (defined as the amount of UV radiation that will produce minimal erythema) that reach the Earth's surface are too low to promote cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D in humans on a year-by-year basis, requiring dietary supplementation. The black and white region marks the Arctic Circle, which has even less UV-B exposure, as would be expected from the increased latitude. The areas below the Arctic Circle in white and light blue are shallow seas as discerned from modern bathymetry, indicating land that would have been exposed during the LGM. (B) Map of Beringia during the Last Glacial Maximum showing the exposure of land at 117 meters below current sea level and the reconstructed terrestrial environments. The shrub tundra is the only area biologically productive enough to support a human population of the size estimated by molecular data. This population was genetically isolated for 2,500-9,000 years because of the ice to the east and extensive mesic tundra to the west.
Credit
Leslea Hlusko, UC Berkeley
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