What is a Milankovich cycle?
Q: What is a Milankovich cycle?
A: A Milankovich cycle is a slow, regular change in the Earth's orbit around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis that affects the amount of sunlight falling on parts of the Earth and leads to cycles of climate.
Q: How many cycles of climate on Earth are caused by Milankovich cycles?
A: Milankovich cycles cause cycles of climate on Earth at about 21,000, 41,000 years, 100,000 and 400,000 years.
Q: Who predicted that variations in eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession of the Earth's orbit caused climate patterns on Earth?
A: Milutin Milanković predicted that variations in eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession of the Earth's orbit caused climate patterns on Earth using applied mathematics.
Q: When were astronomical theories of Milankovich cycles first advanced?
A: Similar astronomical theories of Milankovich cycles had been advanced in the 19th century by Joseph Adhemar, James Croll, and others.
Q: What was the issue with Milankovich cycles until 1976?
A: Until 1976, there was no reliable dated evidence to settle the issue of the role of Milankovich cycles in climate patterns on Earth.
Q: When was the evidence for Milankovich cycles in climate patterns on Earth settled?
A: The evidence for Milankovich cycles in climate patterns on Earth was settled with the publication of a paper in Science in 1976, after deep-ocean cores were taken.
Q: Is the field of Milankovich cycles still under active research?
A: Yes, the whole field of Milankovich cycles and their effects on climate patterns on Earth is still under active research.
