Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics and the Production of Entropy

1. Front Matter

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2. 1 Entropy Production by Earth System Processes

   • Axel Kleidon, Ralph Lorenz

   Pages 1-20

3. 2 Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics in an Energy-Rich Universe

   • Eric J. Chaisson

   Pages 21-31

4. 3 Stumbling into the MEP Racket: An Historical Perspective

   • Garth W. Paltridge

   Pages 33-40

5. 4 Maximum Entropy Production and Non-equilibrium Statistical Mechanics

   • Roderick C. Dewar

   Pages 41-55

6. 5 Using Ecology to Quantify Organization in Fluid Flows

   • Robert E. Ulanowicz, Michael J. Zickel

   Pages 57-66

7. 6 Cosmological and Biological Reproducibility: Limits on the Maximum Entropy Production Principle

   • Charles H. Lineweaver

   Pages 67-77

8. 7 Entropy Production in Turbulent Mixing

   • Joël Sommeria

   Pages 79-91

9. 8 Entropy Production of Atmospheric Heat Transport

   • Takamitsu Ito, Axel Kleidon

   Pages 93-106

10. 9 Water Vapor and Entropy Production in the Earth’s Atmosphere

    • Olivier M. Pauluis

    Pages 107-119

11. 10 Thermodynamics of the Ocean Circulation: A Global Perspective on the Ocean System and Living Systems

    • Shinya Shimokawa, Hisashi Ozawa

    Pages 121-134

12. 11 Entropy and the Shaping of the Landscape by Water

    • Hideaki Miyamoto, Victor R. Baker, Ralph D. Lorenz

    Pages 135-146

13. 12 Entropy Production in the Planetary Context

    • Ralph D. Lorenz

    Pages 147-159

14. 13 The Free-Energy Transduction and Entropy Production in Initial Photosynthetic Reaction

    • Davor Juretić, Paško Županović

    Pages 161-171

15. 14 Biotic Entropy Production and Global Atmosphere-Biosphere Interactions

    • Axel Kleidon, Klaus Fraedrich

    Pages 173-189

16. 15 Coupled Evolution of Earth’s Atmosphere and Biosphere

    • David C. Catling

    Pages 191-206

17. 16 Temperature, Biogenesis, and Biospheric Self-Organization

    • David Schwartzman, Charles H. Lineweaver

    Pages 207-221

18. 17 Entropy and Gaia: Is There a Link Between MEP and Self-Regulation in the Climate System?

    • Thomas Toniazzo, Timothy M. Lenton, Peter M. Cox, Jonathan Gregory

    Pages 223-241

19. 18 Insights from Thermodynamics for the Analysis of Economic Processes

    • Matthias Ruth

    Pages 243-254

20. Back Matter

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The present volume studies the application of concepts from non-equilibrium thermodynamics to a variety of research topics. Emphasis is on the Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) principle and applications to Geosphere-Biosphere couplings. Written by leading researchers from a wide range of backgrounds, the book presents a first coherent account of an emerging field at the interface of thermodynamics, geophysics and life sciences.

• biosphere
• calculus
• climate system
• complexity
• earth system processes
• ecology
• entropy
• evolution
• gaia hypothesis
• geophysics
• geosphere-biosphere coupling
• ocean
• system
• temperature
• thermodynamics

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