Obliquity and Precession

What is the measure of how elliptical an orbit is?

• eccentricity

• obliquity

• precession

• perturbation

What is the wobble of Earth called?

• Wobbliness

• Eccentricity

• Precession

• Obliquity

What is the variation in Earth's tilt called?

• Eccentricity

• Tiltiness

• Precession

• Obliquity

Milankovitch was a Serbian __________ who used the eccentricity, obliquity, and precession of the Earth's orbit around the Sun to account for the advance and retreat of the ____________.

• mathematician, oceans

• astronomer, glaciers

• mathematician, polar ice caps

• astronomer, tides

This term refers to variation of the shape of Earth's orbit around the Sun.

• aphelion

• precession

• obliquity

• eccentricity

At values of low eccentricity, the Earth's orbit is more nearly:

• elliptical.

• eccentric.

• circular.

• oblong.

When the Earth's orbit exhibits high eccentricity and the Earth is at aphelion, the climate is likely to be ____________.

• warmer

• colder

• about the same as today

• vary from extremely hot to very cold

When the Earth's orbit is at perihelion and exhibits high eccentricity, it is about 5,000,000 km ______________ the Sun than when it is at aphelion.

• closer to

• further from

According to the Milankovitch theory, a major cycle of glacial and interglacial periods should occur every ____________ years.

• 10,000

• 100,000

• 1,000,000

• 1,000,000,000

When polar ice caps advance sea levels fall. Therefore sea levels should ___________ when the Earth is at ___________ and its orbit is highly eccentric.

• increase, aphelion

• decrease, aphelion

• increase, perihelion

• decrease, perihelion