ESS101C
Prof.
Jin-Yi Yu
Milankovitch Theory
qMilankovitch suggested that the
critical factor for
Northern Hemisphere continental glaciation was the amount of summertime insolation at high
northern latitudes.
qLow summer
insolation occurs during times when Earth’s orbital tilt is small.
qLow summer
insolation also results from the fact that the northern hemisphere’s summer solstice occurs when
Earth is farthest
from the Sun and when the orbit is highly eccentric.
(from Earth’s Climate: Past and Future)