6.1.7 (HL)—Milankovitch cycles
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Objective
- 6.1.7
- Level
- HL
Match the Three Orbital Cycles to Their Effect
HL onlyEccentricity changes orbit shape (~100,000 years), obliquity changes axial tilt (~41,000 years), and precession changes axis direction (~26,000 years).
Together they redistribute insolation by latitude and season. Ice-albedo and carbon-cycle feedbacks can amplify effects, influencing glacial–interglacial pacing.
A cooler high-latitude summer can let snow survive, increasing albedo and reinforcing cooling.
No; their timescales and current forcing do not match the recent human-driven rate.
Milankovitch cycles redistribute sunlight; they do not directly add modern greenhouse gases.