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Planetary Energy Flow and Entropy Production Rate by Earth from 2002 to 2023.

Elijah Thimsen¹

¹Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)

|May 24, 2024

Summary

Global absorbed sunlight and entropy production rates have increased from 2002-2023, supporting the Maximum Power Principle (MPP) and Maximum Entropy Production Principle (MEP) in Earth system science. This study analyzed satellite data to confirm these findings.

Keywords:

albedo ecosystems entropy generation evolution externalities geoengineering life nonequilibrium thermodynamics social sciences

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Surface Renewal: An Advanced Micrometeorological Method for Measuring and Processing Field-Scale Energy Flux Density Data

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Published on: December 12, 2013

Area of Science:

Earth System Science
Climate Science
Thermodynamics

Background:

The Earth's climate system is a complex thermodynamic system.
The Maximum Power Principle (MPP) and Maximum Entropy Production Principle (MEP) offer theoretical frameworks for understanding system evolution.
Empirical validation of these principles using long-term observational data is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze satellite-derived data on global absorbed sunlight and entropy production rates from 2002 to 2023.
To test the predictive power of the MPP and MEP regarding Earth's changing surface and atmospheric conditions.
To investigate the consistency of observed trends with thermodynamic principles governing complex systems.

Main Methods:

Utilized satellite data from the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments.
Quantified changes in global absorbed sunlight and global entropy production rates over a 21-year period (2002-2023).
Compared observational data trends against hypotheses derived from the MPP and MEP.

Main Results:

Observed a statistically significant increase in the rate of global absorbed sunlight from 2002 to 2023.
Documented a corresponding increase in global entropy production rates over the same period.
The observed trends align with the predictions of both the MPP and MEP.

Conclusions:

The findings support the applicability of the MPP and MEP to the Earth's climate system.
The Earth system appears to be evolving in a manner consistent with maximizing energy dissipation and entropy production.
Further research can explore nuances and extensions of these principles in the context of climate change and anthropogenic influences.