answersLogoWhite

0

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.

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.

User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

Why don't global warming experts reference the Milankovitch cycles?

Because Milankovitch cycles cannot explain climate variability over the time scale that we're interested in predicting climate. Milankovitch cycles can explain large variations in climate over very long time scales, scales of thousands of years. Milankovitch cycles do not explain variability in climate on the scales of hundreds or tens of years. Variability at smaller time scales is driven by other factors, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas concentrations.


What feature of earths movement that takes about 26000 years is called?

Axial progression takes approximately 26,000 years. This is one of the Milankovitch cycles.


What is The feature of earths movement that takes about 26000 years is called?

Axial progression takes approximately 26,000 years. This is one of the Milankovitch cycles.


What is the name for the cycles resulting from changes in earths movements and that may cause ice ages?

The cycles resulting from changes in Earth's movements are called Milankovitch cycles. These changes in Earth's orbit and axial tilt can affect the amount and distribution of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface, potentially leading to ice ages.


Is global warming or the sun's cycle or the milankovitch theory or the asteroid impact considered an effect on climate change?

Scientists conclude that the main factor in climate change is the present global warming from the burning of fossil fuels(coal, oil and natural gas) and deforestation (cutting down trees which previously removed carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere).


How might the Milankovitch cycles affect the global climate?

Milankovitch cycles are orbital cycles affecting earth's insolation. There have been a long series of ice ages closely tied to these orbital cycles, and in fact earth should even now be ever so slightly and gradually cooling towards another ice age which should begin in about 50,000 years. Not particularly soon. The fact earth continues warming at a rapid rate suggests significant environmental impact from some outside source.


What has caused repeating 100000-year cycles of ice ages in the past?

Changes in Earth's orbit and axial tilt, known as Milankovitch cycles, are responsible for triggering the repeating 100,000-year cycles of ice ages. These variations affect the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface, leading to periods of glaciation and interglacial periods.


How do milankovitch cycles affect climate?

The Milankovitch cycles consist of the Procession or Wobble of the axis (24,000 years); the Eccentricity (100,000 years); and the Tilt (41,000 years). The Procession determines if the earth is closest or farthest away from the sun in winter; the Eccentricity determines how great the solar insolation will be when the earth is close to the sun; and the Tilt determines how extreme seasons will be. The larger, the tilt the more extreme. All these cycles in concert provide forcing that has led to periods of glaciation in the past. Feedback cycles are important also in allowing winter-time snow to last through the Northern Hemisphere summer above 65 N latitude. Bottom line - astronomical forcing was one of the primary drivers of creating past ice ages (which are large changes in climate).


How many fetch cycles a three byte instruction requires for its execution?

There are three fetch cycles in a three byte instruction. The first one is four clock cycles long, while the other two are three clock cycles long. Depending on what the instruction does, there will then be more read/write cycles.


What does the milankovitch theory explain?

The Milankovitch theory was created by Milutin Milankovitch in the early 1900's while under house arrest. He calculated the temperature cycles based on the tilt of our planet, the gravitional pull of other planets and other natural issues that occur on roughly 26,000, 48,000 and 100,000 year cycles. His calculations coincided with the derived temperatures that were taken from the Lake Vostok glacial samples. One of the more interesting thngs that he theorized was that temperatures of the planet would crest when all the large planets were on one side of the sun and causing our orbit to be least circular. Under this theory, the planets natural temperatures should be cresting roughly about now. He developed these temperature cycles and theories without taking into account CO2 measurements.


How do scientists think earths orbit relates to an ice age?

Variations in the Earth's orbit around the sun are called Milankovitch cycles. Scientist do not believe that Milankovitch cycles can start or end an ice age. Each cycle runs a different length and the variations in the cycles reinforce their effects or cancel them.


What are many theories as to why ice ages occur the currently accepted theory is that ice ages are caused by?

The currently accepted theory is that ice ages are caused by changes in Earth's orbit and tilt, known as Milankovitch cycles. These cycles affect the amount of sunlight reaching different parts of the Earth, leading to fluctuations in temperature and the growth and retreat of ice sheets. Other factors, such as volcanic activity and variations in greenhouse gas concentrations, can also influence the climate and contribute to the onset of ice ages.