Railsback's Some Fundamentals of Quaternary Science
Milankovitch cycles II: tilt of Earth's axis, seasonality, and extent of glaciation
~41,000 year cycle
Northern
Hemisphere
winter
across
one
year:
Southern
Hemisphere
summer
Northern
Hemisphere
summer
Southern
Hemisphere
winter
Warm summers
More tilt - more seasonality - warmer polar summers glaciers less likely to survive and/or grow
across
one
year:
T
W S
Northern
Hemisphere
winter
Northern
Hemisphere
summer
Southern
Hemisphere
summer
Southern
Hemisphere
winter
W
S
W
S
W
Cool summers
T
Less tilt - less seasonality - cooler polar summers glaciers survive and/or grow
The changes shown here are not to scale – in fact, nothing here is to scale.
W S
W
S
W
S
W