Global Climate Cycle

The Moonscale in fact accurately predicts the motion of the world and surrounding planets, which causes a succession of Glacials (Ice Ages) and Interglacials, which increase and decrease in intensity. These fluctuations are caused by the predictable flucuations of the planet’s axial tilt and other orbital factors. At various tipping points, decades of harsh winters allows buildup of both land and sea ice at the poles. Reduction in sea level alters sea currents, further accelerating the onset of a

Each Aeon lasts approximately 33,200 years, with Epochs marking the transition between Glacial and Interglacial periods of increasing severity. There are nine epochs, the Primary periods being the longest, and the Tertiary the shortest. Various factors influence the beginning of an Epoch, including the influence of planetary bodies and the current position of the continents, which vary slowly with continental drift. This pattern of Aeons is believed to have endured for up to a hundred million years and is set to continue in the foreseeable future. Movement of the current large continental landmasses away from the poles would interrupt the cycle, but this is unlikely to happen for many more millions of years.

1. With the Second Epoch, buildup of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere, combined with warming from the sun and tidal affects, begins to melt much of the polar ice. The transition period takes several hundred years, with sea levels slowly rising. This is a Primary Interglacial period, lasting approximately 5800 years.
2. The Third Epoch sees a dramatic advance of ice cover within 200 years, lowering sea levels and lowering global temperature, lasting approximately 3300 years. This is a Secondary Glacial period.
3. The Fourth Epoch is the most dramatic and catastrophic change in the cycle. Although the transition from Ice Age to Interglacial takes between 50 to 100 years, there are often very rapid rises in sea level as ice sheets suddenly break off and melt, causing violent floods and storms. This is a Secondary Interglacial.
4. The Fifth Epoch lasts only 700 years, and is a Tertiary Glacial, or Little Ice Age. This period sees colder winters and often only a moderate lowering of sea level, equivalent to a particularly low tide.
5. The Sixth Epoch sees a return to the Secondary Interglacial, for 2700 years. The world is currently in this period.
6. The Seventh Epoch is another Tertiary Glacial, last 700 years.
7. The Eighth Epoch returns once more the the Secondary Interglacial, for 3000 years.