A:The Milankovitch (or Milankovich) Theory describes the collective effects of changes in the earth’s movements upon its climate. A cycle of precession lasts 26,000 years. At the same time, there is a cycle in which the earth’s elliptical orbit rotates. The angle between Earth’s rotational axis and the normal to the plane of its orbit oscillates between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees on a 41,000-year cycle. The combined effect of these and other cycles can produce a long-term cycle in the amount of warmth received from the sun.
order now
There's a specialist from your university waiting to help you with that essay.
Tell us what you need to have done now!
order now
Milankovitch cycles operate over the very long term and have great value as a theory to explain ice ages and long-term changes in the climate, but are unlikely to have very much impact on the decade-century timescale. Over several centuries, it may be possible to observe the effect of these orbital parameters, however for the prediction of climate change in the twenty-first century, these changes are considered far less important than radiative forcing from greenhouse gases.
