The large increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide at the end of the last ice age wasn't released by the oceans, scientists have concluded.
After the last ice age peaked about 18,000 years ago, levels of CO2 rose by about 30 percent, warming the planet and melting the continental ice sheets. It's long been hypothesized that the source of the extra CO2 was the deep ocean.
But a new study using detailed radiocarbon dating of foraminifera found in a sediment core from the Gorda Ridge off the coast of Oregon reveals that the Northeast Pacific was not an important reservoir of carbon during glacial times.
The finding means scientists will have to look elsewhere for potential sources of CO2 during glacial periods.
// WS
