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Abstract

A complete bomb radiocarbon (C-14) chronology - covering an 80-year period (1938-2018) and reflecting thermonuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960s - was established using known-date otolith material to trace the signal in the Baltic Sea and to establish a tool in validating the age of regional fishes. Of particular interest were Baltic herring (Clupea harengus) and sprat (Sprattus sprattus) that are estimated to live >20 years in the Baltic Sea, a longevity that is similar to 2x greater than determined for other locations. The new C-14 chronology was used to validate age estimates up to 22 years for herring and 18 years for sprat, although there was evidence of C-14 emissions from nuclear facilities, as well as deficiencies from other environmental factors. This work confirmed the accuracy of high-confidence age reading protocols used for decades and is a first step in establishing a valid basis for observed growth differences between northern-southern Baltic Sea populations. An exploration of C-14 in otoliths of coastal Baltic pike (Esox lucius), pikeperch (Sander lucioperca), and Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) lend support for broader use of bomb C-14 dating on marine and freshwater organisms of the Baltic Sea basin.

Keywords

Clupeidae; age estimation; longevity; carbon-14; Baltic cod; pike; pikeperch; gas-AMS

Published in

ICES Journal of Marine Science
2025, volume: 82, number: 12, article number: fsaf220
Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS

SLU Authors

UKÄ Subject classification

Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaf220

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/145649