What is the melangcavitch cycle?

Question

I'm sure I miss spelled it cause I can't find anything about it online! Help me out with the spelling please if you can!

I know it has to do with solar heat heating oceans thus causing temperature changes on earth. If no answer, please give a link to a good website!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Answer 1

Milankovitch cycles are the collective effect of changes in the Earth's movements upon its climate.

Answer 2

Melankovitch (or Melankovich) was a math teacher in southern Europe 100 years ago. He was interested in astronomy and worked out some calculations to show that cycles of change in the earth's orbit around the sun could affect the climate by changing how much of the sun's light different parts of the earth receive. The three cycles involve the changing of the earths orbit from more circular to more elliptical, the changing of the angle of the tilt of the earth compared to the orbit, and the wobble in the tilt of the earth.
These cycles happen over periods of tens of thousands of years but collectively they can cause a quite significant change in how the earth is heated. Sometimes ignorant people use these cycles to suggest that since the climate changed in the past, that they are what is causing current climate change. But they forget that the past climate changes happened over thousands of years, not over a few decades!