Cycles also play key roles in Earth’s short-term weather and long-term climate. A century ago, Serbian scientist Milutin Milankovitch hypothesized the long-term, collective effects of changes in Earth’s position relative to the Sun are a strong driver of Earth’s long-term climate, and are responsible for triggering the beginning and end of glaciation periods (Ice Ages).
Specifically, he examined how variations in three types of Earth orbital movements affect how much solar radiation (known as insolation) reaches the top of Earth’s atmosphere as well as where the insolation reaches. These cyclical orbital movements, which became known as the Milankovitch cycles, cause variations of up to 25 percent in the amount of incoming insolation at Earth’s mid-latitudes (the areas of our planet located between about 30 and 60 degrees north and south of the equator).
The Milankovitch cycles include:
- The shape of Earth’s orbit, known as eccentricity;
- The angle Earth’s axis is tilted with respect to Earth’s orbital plane, known as obliquity; and
- The direction Earth’s axis of rotation is pointed, known as precession.
Let’s take a look at each (further reading on why Milankovitch cycles can't explain Earth's current warming here).
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2948/milankovitch-orbital-cycles-and-their-role-in-earths-climate/
Milankovitch had no idea global warming would over-ride the normal pattern of cyclical change.
