qChanges in solar
heating driven by changes in Earth’s orbit are the major cause of cyclic climate changes over time
scales of tens to hundreds of thousands of years (23k years, 41k years, and 100k years) .
qEarth’s orbit and its cyclic variations: tilt variations, eccentricity variations, and
precession of the orbit.
qHow do orbital variations drive the strength of tropical monsoons?
qHow do orbital variations control the size of northern hemisphere ice sheets?
qWhat controls orbital-scale fluctuations of atmospheric greenhouse gases?
qWhat is the origin of the 100,000-year climate cycle of the last 0.9 Myr (ice sheets melt
rapidly every 100,000 years)?