Milankovitch cycles are long-term changes in how the Earth moves around the sun and how it tilts on its axis. These changes affect how much sunlight different parts of the Earth receive.
Scientists have a lot of evidence that shows how these cycles have influenced the Earth’s climate over countless millennia, like tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years. They’ve found rock evidence that supports this idea, layers of rocks that show patterns that match up with the cycles.
There are three main parts to these cycles:
1. Eccentricity: This refers to how squished or stretched out Earth’s orbit around the sun is, and this changes over about 100,000 years.
2. Axial Tilt (Obliquity): This is the amount the Earth leans on its axis, which changes about every 41,000 years.
3. Precession: This is about how the Earth wobbles as it spins, and this takes about 26,000 years to complete a full cycle.
These cycles affect the Earth’s climate over a really long time, and they have a significant role in when ice ages happen and when the Earth is warmer in between.
Looking ahead to the future, these cycles could indirectly and significantly impact vegetable gardening. Gradual changes in the climate because of these cycles could mean different temperatures, rainfall, and growing seasons. This could affect the types of vegetables that can be grown, how much they need to be watered, and when they can be planted.
Even though these changes happen over unfathomable spans of time, understanding Milankovitch cycles helps us recognize that the Earth’s climate is always changing and could have big effects on how we grow our food in the future.
At Urban Gardening 4u2day, we are passionate about promoting eco-friendly and sustainable vegetable gardening practices. Our mission is to encourage individuals and communities to grow their own produce in environmentally conscious ways.
Image: AI-Generated
Prompt/edited: Tom Myrick
Written by: Tom Myrick
About the Writer/Photographer: Tom Myrick
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