They found that melting icebergs gradually move freshwater from the Southern to the Atlantic Ocean by melting further from Antarctica - causing a change in ocean circulation and plunging the planet into a cold period - triggering an ice age. .

The impact of human-created CO2 emissions could make the Southern Ocean too warm for Antarctic icebergs to reach, bringing an end to this 1.6 million year cycle of ice ages starting with melting icebergs, study authors warned.

The team found that icebergs from the Antarctic gradually stay unmelted further north during certain changes in the Earth's orbit of the Sun - reducing solar energy coming to the surface.

This in turn pushes the Earth into ice age conditions, according to the team, who reconstructed past climate conditions including finding tiny fragments of Antarctic rock dropped in open ocean by melting icebergs.  .

The team identified tiny fragments of Antarctic rock that had been deposited in the open ocean by melting icebergs to track changes in salt and freshwater over timee.

Icebergs from Antarctica travel into the Southern Ocean without melting and shift freshwater from that ocean into the Atlantic, trigger ocean circulation changes and cooler periods.

Researchers suggest the natural rhythm of ice age cycles may be disrupted as the Southern Ocean will likely become too warm for Antarctic icebergs to travel far enough to trigger the changes in ocean circulation required for an ice age to start. .

When it comes to regulating global climate, the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean plays a key role

This is due to a constantly moving system of deep-water circulation often referred to as the Global Ocean Conveyor Belt which sends warm, salty Gulf Stream water to the North Atlantic where it releases heat to the atmosphere and warms Western Europe

When it comes to regulating global climate, the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean plays a key role