klimatscykler

Klimatcykler, or climate cycles, refer to natural, recurring variations in Earth's climate system over various timescales. These cycles are driven by a combination of internal and external factors. Internal factors include interactions within the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and ice. External factors involve changes in Earth's orbit, solar activity, and volcanic eruptions.

One well-known example is the Milankovitch cycles, which describe long-term variations in Earth's orbital parameters: eccentricity (the shape of Earth's orbit around the Sun), axial tilt (obliquity), and precession (the wobble of Earth's axis). These cycles influence the distribution and intensity of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface, playing a significant role in glacial and interglacial periods over tens to hundreds of thousands of years.

Shorter-term climate cycles also exist. For instance, phenomena like El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Pacific Ocean cause significant year-to-year fluctuations in global weather patterns. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) are longer cycles impacting ocean temperatures and influencing regional climates over decades. Solar cycles, such as the 11-year sunspot cycle, can also have a minor influence on Earth's climate. Understanding these natural climate cycles is crucial for distinguishing them from human-induced climate change and for developing accurate climate models.