Researchers have predicted that Earth’s next ice age might occur roughly 10,000 years from now, following the conclusion of the last ice age 11,700 years ago. However, unprecedented fossil fuel consumption and rising global temperatures could delay this natural cycle. The study published in Science reveals a consistent pattern of glacial and interglacial periods over the last million years, driven by oscillations in Earth’s orbit, challenging previous notions that ice age timing was random. This insight suggests that changes in orbit determine future ice age occurrences, with the next one likely within the next 11,000 years.
The study indicates that due to unusual rates of fossil fuel emissions, the natural cycle of glaciation may be postponed significantly, pushing the next ice age further away.
Researchers argue that Earth's climate transitions are not random as previously thought, but rather follow a predictable pattern linked to the Earth's orbital changes.
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