Chapter 5: Aboveground Production of Grasslands

The radiocarbon dates, done on the remains of the Jarkov mammoth are supposed to prove that it has lived in the eastern part of central Taimyr Peninsula during the height of the Last Glaciation. That is, at the coldest part of the Last Ice Age. This mammoth bull is supposed to have lived on central Taimyr Peninsula on a zonal very dry arctic steppe. Not on an arctic tundra. We would like to find out now: Has the Jarkov mammoth lived during the height of the Last Glaciation in the northernmost part of central Siberia? Has it lived up there on a very dry arctic steppe? And are the radiocarbon dates correct? That is: Do they really tell us, when this elephant has grazed up there?

From the data, which I have gathered from the different types of grasslands of North America and central and northern Asia, I have worked out now a new type of chart. It deals with the three different types of grasslands: average, poor, and rich. It consists of three lines. By "poor grassland" I do mean here the meadow or grassland, growing at a place, where it is not able to grow properly, because in summer it is so dry that the plant is not able to get enough nutrients out of the soil. Or because the soil is poor, does not contain enough of the nutrients, which the plant needs. "Average grassland" means here a grassland, which gets all or most of its water from above, from precipitation, in contrast to the wet meadow, which is flooded or grows on wet ground. I have taken into this chart only grasslands, where the plant gets all or most of its moisture from above, from annual precipitation. I have not taken into this chart wet meadow or grassland, growing in swamps, or near lakes and ponds, where the pasture may be flooded in summer. That is, where the plants gets a large part or most of their moisture from below, from the wet ground.

The millimeter-paper with this new chart has on the left side the mean annual net radiation at the earth’s surface. (kcal cm² yr (kly): from 90 kcal cm² yr down to 0.0 kcal cm² yr. This we may also express in mm potential evapotranspiration (P.E.) per year. 1 kly (kcal cm²) annual net radiation at the earth’s surface is about 16.95 mm P.E.

At the bottom of this chart are the grams aboveground dry matter per square meter per millimeter precipitation per year (gDM m²/mm ppt yr) from 0.0 to 1.3 gDM m²/mm ppt yr. That is, how much aboveground dry matter is growing there from 1 mm of precipitation per year. "Average in normal grassland" means here, the average on the middle-line of my plant-production chart. It lies on the middle line between those of the very productive and very poor rangelands. "Poor grassland" means here less productive grasslands growing either on poor soil or where the summer is too hot or and too dry, like on the dry steppe and desert steppe of Central Asia and the short grassland on the Great Plains of North America. Low productive grassland we may also find, where the summer is too cool and too dry, like on the dry steppe of the Tibetan High Plateau and on the azonal dry steppes of the Yukon Territory.

We are here mainly interested in the question, how much fodder is able to grow in the Far North in an arctic climate, on the zonal dry mammoth steppe? The following table gives the result of this research. It shows us, how much aboveground dry matter is growing on the average on a dry meadow or grassland and also on the poor, less productive grassland. (in contrast to the wet meadow or flooded grassland).

Grazing woolly mammoths. From: E. Probst, Deutschland in der Urzeit (1986:317). The woolly mammoth is supposed to have lived in the Far North during the height of the Last Ice Age, in ice and snow, just like the reindeer and the musk-ox of today. That is completely wrong. Polar desert and polar semi-desert in the Far North will grow only up to 30 g DM/m² (dry matter per square meter) per year, during 1 – 2 warm months (with air temperatures above the freezing point). But this polar desert and polar semi-desert will grow up there only at the most fertile spots. The rest of the country, not covered by ice, is bare ground.

The elephant is still able to live, where 250 g DM/m² have grown during 8 – 9 wet months, followed by 3 – 4 dry months. The tusker will starve to death with a full stomach, where only 200 g DM/m² per year has grown (J. Phillipson, 1975). The asserted adaptation of the woolly mammoth to severe arctic cold is not science, only science-fiction. It has nothing to do with serious scientific research.

Mammoth on dry arctic steppe

The isoline of 15.0 kcal cm² annual net radiation at the earth’s surface is running now across northern Alaska and Canada and Siberia. In some parts, there is lower arctic tundra. In other parts, forest-tundra. On the average dry grassland, it produces about 0.15 gDM/m² per year. And in very dry conditions, only 0.0.95 gDM/m² per year. The African elephant is still able to live in a semi-desert, were 300 millimeters of rain per year produce about 250 gDM/m². That is, when it contains enough protein. Where only 200 gDM/m² has grown per year, the elephant will starve to death with a full stomach. The normal range of the elephant produces 300, 400, 500 gDM/m² per year and more.

Some of the world’s leading mammoth experts and ice-age experts have claimed: During the height of the Last Glaciation, northern Russia, northern Siberia, Alaska, and northern Canada have been then very dry. Because the Arctic Ocean has been frozen over then all year round, in some parts even right down to the bottom. Annual precipitation was then very low, perhaps only 200 mm, 150 mm, 100 mm or even only 90 mm per year. This might well have been so. I have no quarrel with that at all. What I would like to find out here: Could the mammoth have lived then up there in such a dry arctic climate? Would it have found enough to eat then on a very dry arctic steppe at the height of the Last Ice Age? Could a dry arctic steppe in such a cold arctic climate have feed herds of elephants, bison, and horses, and prides of lions?

At 15.0 kcal cm² annual net radiation

15.0 kcal cm² net radiation at earth’s surface corresponds to 254 mm potential evapotranspiration. It produces 0.15 gDM/m² per year in a normal dry grassland, and about 0.095 gDM/m² on a poor grassland. 300 mm of annual precipitation will produce only up to 45 gDM/m².

At 10.0 kcal cm² annual net radiation

The isoline of up to 10.0 kcal cm² net radiation at the earth’s surface is running now north of, at, and below the present arctic coast, and through some of the lower High Arctic Canadian Islands. In northern Siberia the 10.0 kcal cm² net radiation line lies now mostly between 67°N and 70°N. 100 mm annual precipitation would produce only 10.5 gDM/m² per year. And 250 mm annual precipitation would grow only 31.5 gDM/m². The African elephant will starve to death, where only 200 gDM/m² has grown per year.

At 7.5 kcal cm² annual net radiation

In Eastern Canada, the 7.5 kcal cm² annual net radiation at the earth’s surface is running now across the lower Canadian High Arctic Islands and Canadian mainland, north of Hudson Bay. In West Siberia it lies near 70°N. In central Siberia, on some parts Taimyr Peninsula. And in East Siberia, the 7.5 kcal cm² net radiation lines lies near the arctic coast. 90 mm of annual precipitation would produce then only 6.75 grams aboveground dry matter per square meter per year. And 300 mm annual precipitation would produce only up to 22.50 gDM/m² per year. Not quite enough to feed an elephant.

At 5.0 kcal cm² annual net radiation

The northern parts of Taimyr Peninsula have now a mean annual net radiation at the earth’s surface of 5.0 kcal cm². In such a climate, the Jarkov mammoth would have had to live in the central part of Taimyr Peninsula during the height of the Last Glaciation. Or it would have been then even colder. That is, the net radiation may have been then below 5.0 kcal cm². At 90 mm precipitation per year, the arctic steppe would have produced then only about 4.5 grams aboveground dry matter per square meter per year. If it was poor, only about 2.7 gDM/m². 300 mm of annual precipitation would have produced then up there only up to 15.0 gDM/m². No elephant is able to live there.

Annual precipitation needed to feed an elephant

The African elephant is still able to live in a semi-desert, were 300 millimeters of rain per year produce about 250 gDM/m². That is, when it contains enough protein. Where only 200 gDM/m² has grown per year, the elephant will starve to death with a full stomach. The normal range of the elephant produces 300, 400, 500 gDM/m² per year and more.

Some of the world’s leading mammoth experts and ice-age experts have claimed: During the height of the Last Glaciation, northern Russia, northern Siberia, Alaska, and northern Canada have been then very dry. Because the Arctic Ocean has been frozen over all year round, in some parts right down to the bottom.

Annual precipitation was then very low, perhaps only 200 mm, 150 mm, 100 mm or even only 90 mm per year. This might well have been so. I have no quarrel with that at all. What I would like to find out here: Would the mammoth have lived then up there in such a dry arctic climate? Would it have found enough to eat then on a dry arctic steppe? Could such an arctic dry steppe in such a cold arctic climate have feed herds of elephants, bison, and horses? In other words: How much annual precipitation would we need in the Far North, so that this dry arctic steppe will be able, to feed an elephant, and whole herds of elephants? Could so much food grow in an arctic climate?

At 15.0 kcal cm² annual net radiation

This means: At an annual net radiation at the earth’s surface of 15.0 kcal cm², we would need 1667 mm of annual precipitation, to produce 250 grams aboveground dry matter per square meter per year. That is the lowest amount, on which the elephant is still able to live, if it contains enough protein. On a less productive grassland, we would even need 2631 mm precipitation per year, to grow 250 gDM/m². In an arctic climate this is not possible!

At 10.0 kcal cm² annual net radiation

At a mean annual net radiation at the earth’s surface of 10 kcal cm², we would need 2381 mm of precipitation per year, to produce 250 gDM/m². 250 gDM/m² is the lower limit, where the elephant is still able to live, if it contains enough protein. The less productive dry grassland will need then 4167 mm precipitation per year, to grow 250 gDM/m². In an arctic climate this is not possible. The elephant would starve to death.

At 7.5 kcal cm² annual net radiation

At 7.5 kcal cm² annual net radiation we would need 3333 mm precipitation per year, to produce 250 grams aboveground dry matter per square meter per year. On the less productive steppes, we would need still more: 5555 mm ppt per year. In an arctic climate this is not possible. It is too cold. The growing season of the plants is too short.

At 5.0 kcal cm² annual net radiation

In such a climate, the Jarkov Mammoth would have had to live in Central Taimyr Peninsula, in the northernmost part of Siberia, during the height of the Last Glaciation, according to the radiocarbon dates. We would need then about 5000 mm of annual precipitation, just to produce 250 gDM/m² on the zonal dry arctic steppe. In an arctic climate this is not possible. The summer is too cold, and the growing season of the plants too short. Neither the Jarkov mammoth, nor any other mammoth could have lived in central northeastern Taimyr Peninsula in an arctic climate. Nor would the woolly rhino, steppe bison, and lion have been able, to live on this arctic dry steppe. They would have starved to death. When the Jarkov mammoth was grazing up there, the climate was much milder than now, without an arctic winter, without ice and snow.

This also shows us now that the radiocarbon dates, which they have done on the remains of the Jarkov mammoth must be wrong. They do not show us, when this elephant has lived up there, hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circle. The Jarkov mammoth and its companions have lived on the Taimyr Peninsula about 4400 years ago, before the global Flood of the days of Noah, in a mild, temperature climate, without an arctic winter, without ice and snow. They have drowned in this global Flood. And the water and mud of this global Flood have also buried them. Then they were quickly frozen.