James Croll

James Croll was a Scottish scientist in the 19th century who studied how Earth's climate changes over long periods. He proposed that variations in the Earth's tilt and orbit—called Milankovitch cycles—affect the amount of sunlight reaching different parts of the planet, driving ice ages and warm periods. His work helped explain the cyclical nature of climate shifts millions of years ago. Although initially overlooked, Croll's ideas later became fundamental to understanding Earth's natural climate changes and are considered important contributions to the field of paleoclimatology.