托福阅读真题第53篇SequencingIceAges（答案文章最后）.pdfVIP

托福阅读真题第53篇SequencingIceAges（答案文章最

后）

传统上，气候科学家认为地球经历了四个主要的冰川期（被冰盖

覆盖），中间有温暖的间冰期。但是气候eresearchhasnowshown

thatoverthepast800,000yearsEarthhasseenacomplexpattern

ofsometwentymajorclimaticshifts,withtemperatures

alternatingbetweenverywarmandintenselycold,featuring

warmseasinnorthernEuropeatoneextremeandicesheets

coveringvastareasoftheglobeattheother.Thecauseofthese

fluctuationsliesinthecomplexrelationshipbetweenEarthand

theSun.WeareallfamiliarwiththefactthatEarthorbitstheSun

andthatitspinsarounditsownaxis,whichisatanangletothe

planeofitsorbit.ThiscausessomepartsofEarthssurfacetobe

nearertheSunforperiodsoftime,accountingforthedifferences

betweensummerandwinter.Ifallpartsofthissystemwerestable.

Earthsclimatewouldremainconstant,butthisisnotso.First,

Earthsorbitisnotperfectlycircularbutisslightlyelliptical,

causingavariationona100,000-yearcycle.Secondly,theaxisof

Earthhangesitstilt(anglebyafractionovera.41,000-yearcycle;

andthirdly,theplanet.hasaslightwobble(shakingmovement)

aboutitsaxisasitspins,settingupchangesoveracycleof23,000

years.Thecombinationofallthesefactors(knownasthe

Milankovitchcycles)createsverysmallchangesintheSun-Earth

relationshipthatdeterminetheexpansionorcontractionofthe

polaricecapandthusthesequenceoffluctuatingiceages.

Thecomplexityofthesechangeshastakensometimeto

unravel.Theearliestworkwasdoneonglaciersinthelpine

region,anditwasherethatthefourmajorstagesofglaciation

wereidentified,providingausefulregionalsequence.More

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