Interglacial

An interglacial is a relatively warm interval between glacial periods within an ice age, when continental ice sheets retreat but do not necessarily disappear.

Milankovitch cycles: Long-term variations in Earth's orbit and axial orientation that alter the distribution of incoming sunlight. Their changing summer sunlight at high northern latitudes helps pace glacial retreat.
Holocene: The geological epoch that began about 11,700 years ago, following the last glacial period. It is the current interglacial, within which human civilizations developed.
Ice age: A prolonged interval when persistent ice sheets exist on land and global climate includes repeated glacial cycles. Interglacials are warm phases nested within an ice age.
Sea level rise: An increase in the average height of the ocean relative to land. Melting land ice and warmer ocean water raise sea level during interglacials.
Ice-albedo feedback: A climate feedback in which changes in reflective ice cover amplify temperature changes. Retreating ice exposes darker surfaces that absorb more sunlight and reinforce warming.
Eemian: The last interglacial before the present one, occurring roughly 129,000 to 116,000 years ago. Its warmer-than-present episodes offer evidence about ice-sheet sensitivity and sea levels.
Glacial period: A colder phase within an ice age when continental ice sheets expand. It is the cold counterpart that alternates with interglacials.
Paleoclimate: The study and reconstruction of Earth's climates before modern instrumental records. Interglacials are reconstructed from archives that preserve ancient climate conditions.
Greenhouse effect: The warming caused when atmospheric gases absorb and re-emit infrared radiation. Rising greenhouse-gas concentrations amplify orbital warming during deglaciation.
MIS 11: A long interglacial interval identified as Marine Isotope Stage 11, about 424,000 to 374,000 years ago. Its exceptional duration provides a comparison for the persistence of warm intervals.

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