Possible Bounds on the Earth's Surface Temperature: From the Perspective of a Conceptual Global-Mean Model*

Ou, Hsien-Wang

doi:10.1175/1520-0442(2001)014<2976:pbotes>2.0.co;2

Cited by 31 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In a series of papers, Ou developed a simple model of the climate system and used MEP to parameterize poleward heat transport to investigate long-term climate stability with respect to cloud feedbacks and the implications for climate system functioning (Ou 2001(Ou , 2006(Ou , 2007. Ou (2001) argued that a shifting balance of high vs low clouds can result in climate-regulating behavior.…”

Section: Mep and Climate System Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nonequilibrium thermodynamics and maximum entropy production in the Earth system

Kleidon

2009

Naturwissenschaften

149

123

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The Earth system is maintained in a unique state far from thermodynamic equilibrium, as, for instance, reflected in the high concentration of reactive oxygen in the atmosphere. The myriad of processes that transform energy, that result in the motion of mass in the atmosphere, in oceans, and on land, processes that drive the global water, carbon, and other biogeochemical cycles, all have in common that they are irreversible in their nature. Entropy production is a general consequence of these processes and measures their degree of irreversibility. The proposed principle of maximum entropy production (MEP) states that systems are driven to steady states in which they produce entropy at the maximum possible rate given the prevailing constraints. In this review, the basics of nonequilibrium thermodynamics are described, as well as how these apply to Earth system processes. Applications of the MEP principle are discussed, ranging from the strength of the atmospheric circulation, the hydrological cycle, and biogeochemical cycles to the role that life plays in these processes. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics and the MEP principle have potentially wide-ranging implications for our understanding of Earth system functioning, how it has evolved in the past, and why it is habitable. Entropy production allows us to quantify an objective direction of Earth system change (closer to vs further away from thermodynamic equilibrium, or, equivalently, towards a state of MEP). When a maximum in entropy production is reached, MEP implies A. Kleidon (B) Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie, Postfach 10 01 64, 07701 Jena, Germany e-mail: akleidon@bgc-jena.mpg.de that the Earth system reacts to perturbations primarily with negative feedbacks. In conclusion, this nonequilibrium thermodynamic view of the Earth system shows great promise to establish a holistic description of the Earth as one system. This perspective is likely to allow us to better understand and predict its function as one entity, how it has evolved in the past, and how it is modified by human activities in the future.

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Section: Mep and Climate System Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ou (2001) argued that a shifting balance of high vs low clouds can result in climate-regulating behavior. Ou (2006Ou ( , 2007 extended this work to explore the impacts for the hydrological cycle, including humidity profiles, atmospheric moisture transport, and ocean stratification.…”

Section: Mep and Climate System Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonequilibrium thermodynamics and maximum entropy production in the Earth system

Kleidon

2009

Naturwissenschaften

149

123

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“…They found that lower insolation resulted in less efficient equator-to-pole heat transport (which can be readily understood given our assertion above that D I/T ) and thus makes the system less likely to runaway to a complete glaciations (see also Endal & Schatten 1982). (In passing, we note that Ou (2001) has considered the faint early sun problem from a global mean climate perspective, with radiative balance controlled by the relative amounts of low-and high-altitude clouds: the cloud amounts are determined by vertical heat transports, and he adopts MEP for those transports to achieve model closure. He too finds the habitability of the terrestrial climate-i.e.…”

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confidence: 81%

The two-box model of climate: limitations and applications to planetary habitability and maximum entropy production studies

Lorenz

2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The 'two-box model' of planetary climate is discussed. This model has been used to demonstrate consistency of the equator -pole temperature gradient on Earth, Mars and Titan with what would be predicted from a principle of maximum entropy production (MEP). While useful for exposition and for generating first-order estimates of planetary heat transports, it has too low a resolution to investigate climate systems with strong feedbacks. A two-box MEP model agrees well with the observed day : night temperature contrast observed on the extrasolar planet HD 189733b.

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“…Although there is no consensus on the MEM numerous works have been directed at the principle of MEP as well as the MEM and their applications to meteorology, e.g., [117][118][119][120][121][122] henceforth. Despite the different details most of them are focused on the climate modeling based on the MEPP, subgrid parameterization scheme and numerical restriction from the entropy budget caused substaintially by entropy production.…”

Section: Entropy Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Atmospheric Behaviour in Terms of Entropy: A Review of Applications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics to Meteorology

Liu

Wang

2011

Entropy

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Abstract:The concept of entropy and its relevant principles, mainly the principle of maximum entropy production (MEP), the effect of negative entropy flow (NEF) on the organization of atmospheric systems and the principle of the Second Law of thermodynamics, as well as their applications to atmospheric sciences, are reviewed. Some formulations of sub-grid processes such as diffusion parameterization schemes in computational geophysical fluid dynamics that can be improved based on full-irreversibility are also discussed, although they have not yet been systematically subjected to scrutiny from the perspective of the entropy budgets. A comparative investigation shows that the principle of MEP applies to the entropy production of macroscopic fluxes and determines the most probable state, that is, a system may choose a development meta-stable trajectory with a smaller production since entropy production behavior involves many specific dynamical and thermodynamic processes in the atmosphere and the extremal principles only provide a general insight into the overall configuration of the atmosphere. In contrast to the principle of MEP, the analysis of NEF is able to provide a new insight into the mechanism responsible for the evolution of a weather system as well as a new approach to predicting its track and intensity trend.

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Possible Bounds on the Earth's Surface Temperature: From the Perspective of a Conceptual Global-Mean Model*

Cited by 31 publications

References 27 publications

Nonequilibrium thermodynamics and maximum entropy production in the Earth system

Nonequilibrium thermodynamics and maximum entropy production in the Earth system

The two-box model of climate: limitations and applications to planetary habitability and maximum entropy production studies

Understanding Atmospheric Behaviour in Terms of Entropy: A Review of Applications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics to Meteorology

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