Washington [US]: Earth is closer to the sun at some times of year than at others, with the time of closest approach shifting over a period of 22,000 years. This affects Earth's climate, including ice ages, but a team of scientists found that it also affects a yearly weather pattern, the Pacific cold tongue. Because the cold tongue influences the El Nino/La Nina cycle, the changing Earth-sun distance may also affect weather in North America and globally.
