How Ice Ages Happen: The Milankovitch Cycles

Many people are confused in thinking this has something to do with the global warming debate. This explains how the climate changes naturally over hundreds of thousands of years and is unrelated to any changes over the past century. Please see my follow up video.

The Milankovitch Cycles are changes in the Earth's orbit and rotation that cause the Earth's climate to change over hundreds of thousands of years.

For more information, I recommend Dan Britt's lecture on the history of climate:

[ItsJustAstronomical]

These cycles have little to do with the global warming debate. These cycles occur of hundreds of thousands of years and is unrelated to any changes over the past century. Please see my follow up video.

[disabledpigeon]

Don’t let this man trick you we all know that damn squirrel has something to do with it

[Jamalz-ukcs]

Ice Ages happen when a squirrel tries to protect its nuts.

[BurritoLuvr]

It’s 4 am, I’m drinking beer and learning about our planet. Cool stuff

[franl]

Very interesting, thank you.
I saw a documentary where someone was studying ice ages - on [I think] Barbados! Every time the sea level dropped, a new layer of coral was exposed and died, and a new coral reef began to grow further down.
The age of each coral terrace could be dated, and they matched the Milankovich Cycle very closely

[jamesboaz]

That's one of the best presentations I've seen on this topic.
Just plain and easy to understand info.
Thanks.

[thealarm]

I was talking about ice ages with my brothers yesterday....And today it's in my recommendation list.
Google a.i is observing our conversation on deep level

[dalek]

Incredible. All these forces, centrifugal, orbits, interactions between planets. I imagine Sunspot activity also plays a role. Great video.

[KindaKrispy]

Excellent video. As a kid, I've always wondered about the tilt and orbit paths of the Earth relative to the Sun, but never knew the effects changed and interacted with each other!

[heartwoodfarms]

Interesting and well done but it would have been much more interesting if you had explained exactly where we are currently in each of the three cycles.

[surajrshetty]

Best explanation I have found for this topic, easy even for a layman like me . Thanks 🙏🏻

[dylanknight]

At least YouTube is always here to educate people that couldn’t go to college. We need more of this for the masses.

[juancharamostajo]

Your videos are so damn clear and easy to follow. High density of learning/connections per minute. Make more!!!

[davidgriffiths]

The best explanation of the Milankovitch cycles I have heard. The previous interglacial was the result of a more coherent alignment of the cycles producing a warmer climate.

[thomasputko]

Excellent vid. Explains the phenomenon to the point without not needed diversions. Plain and simple. Thank you.

[big_dawg]

Awesome information. I learned more from this short video than I have from much longer videos. Great job, putting this together

[mistyfloros]

I can't wait to wish everyone happy aphelion on July 4th.

[adamdavis]

Reading through the comments, I saw a couple of salient points that add to this effect that I also want to reiterate. The effects of the solar maximum and minimums, grand solar minimum in particular, and the effects of volcanic eruptions, especially those like the Toba eruption in Indonesia 74k years ago, and eruptions like Yellowstone, would have a major impact, but even eruptions like Mt.St . Helens and Mt Pinatubo had recently recorded effects on a global scale. Krakatoa was another major one that produced "the year without a summer". Grand Solar Minimum like the Maunder Minimum that produced the "Little Ice Age" between the 17th and 18th centuries should be considered too. This is an excellent explanation of yet another major factor in the natural, uncontrollable cycle of climate. Great video!

[spino-ace]

Thank you so much, I have a test later, and this has been 10 times better than the video the teacher showed us!

[AERallert]

Wow, it's like that 1 in a 1, 000, 000 videos on scientific topic that is actually made to be understandable! Thanks a lot!