Climate Change - Milankovitch Theory- Tilt Cycle

Climate change due to variations in the earth's orbit - Milankovitch Theory

2) Tilt Cycle -

• currently, the axis of rotation for the earth is tilted at 23.5°

• However, this value changes from a minimum of 22.5° to a maximum of 24.5° and takes 41,000 years to complete one cycle

• at 22.5° the seasonal variation will be Answer than current?

• at 24.5° the seasonal variation will be Answer than current?

All three cycles are occurring simultaneously

The Milankovitch cycles and plate tectonics are not the only natural factors which can affect global climate......, there are other factors to consider:

• amount of dust and aerosols in the atmosphere
• reflectivity of ice sheets
• concentrations of trace gases
• amount of clouds

image adopted from The Amosphere by Lutgens and Tarbuck, © 1998 by Prentice-Hall, Inc