The entropy flows of Hurricane Katrina (2005) are calculated using the entropy flow formula appropriate for atmospheric dynamical systems based on the National Centre for Environmental Prediction/National Centre for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data. The results show that the intensification of net negative (positive) entropy flow entering into Katrina preceded the strengthening (weakening) of its intensity and the asymmetries of the entropy flow pattern around Katrina's centre contained some significant information on hurricane track prediction. These results imply that classical thermodynamic entropy may serve as an order parameter for an atmospheric system and that entropy flow analysis might provide a new insight into the mechanism responsible for the life cycle of the system.
The relationship of entropy flow with the evolution of a severe tropical storm is investigated in this letter, based on observational analyses covering its life cycle. The formula for calculating entropy flow is derived starting with the Gibbs relation [S. R. De Groot and P. Mazur, Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1962)], in terms of constant pressure coordinates. The results show that negative entropy flow plays an important role in the storm growth with the entropy flow being basically the entropy advection, suggesting that entropy flow analysis is a powerful tool in understanding the mechanism responsible for the evolution of storms.
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