The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide that contributed to the end of the Ice Age over 10,000 years ago didn't occur gradually, but was marked by three "pulses" in which levels of the greenhouse gas rose suddenly.

Researchers aren't sure what produced the abrupt increases in CO2, however. During these pulses, levels of carbon dioxide rose five percent per episode over a period of a century or two.

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Researchers suggest a combination of factors such as changing wind patterns, terrestrial processes and ocean circulation may have caused the pulses.

The findings may prove useful as they illuminate mechanisms that plunge the world into and out of ice ages.

"We used to think that naturally occurring changes in carbon dioxide took place relatively slowly over the 10,000 years it took to move out of the last ice age," said Shaun Marcott, lead author who conducted his study as a post-doctoral researcher at Oregon State University.

"This abrupt, centennial-scale variability of CO2 appears to be a fundamental part of the global carbon cycle."

Prior research on the topic pointed to the chance that the spikes in atmospheric carbon dioxide may have been hastened by the last deglaciation, or the exit from the ice age, but the hypothesis hasn't been settled.

The key to the new result was the analysis of a West Antarctic ice core that gave researchers a glimpse into the past.

"It is a remarkable ice core and it clearly shows distinct pulses of carbon dioxide increase that can be very reliably dated," Brook said.

"These are some of the fastest natural changes in CO2 we have observed, and were probably big enough on their own to impact the Earth's climate."

Tagscarbon dioxide, Carbon dioxide pulse, Glacier, Deglaciation, Ice age, CO2, Ice core