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Web End = Clim Dyn (2015) 45:35133525
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Web End = Thermodynamic disequilibrium of the atmosphere in the context of global warming
Junling Huang1,2 Michael B. McElroy1
Abstract The atmosphere is an example of a non-equilibrium system. This study explores the relationship among temperature, energy and entropy of the atmosphere, introducing two variables that serve to quantify the thermodynamic disequilibrium of the atmosphere. The maximum work, Wmax, that the atmosphere can perform is dened as the work developed through a thermally reversible and adiabatic approach to thermodynamic equilibrium with global entropy conserved. The maximum entropy increase, ( S)max, is dened as the increase in global entropy achieved through a thermally irreversible transition to thermodynamic equilibrium without performing work. Wmax is identied as an approximately linear function of ( S)max.
Large values of Wmax or ( S)max correspond to states of high thermodynamic disequilibrium. The seasonality and long-term historical variation of Wmax and ( S)max are computed, indicating highest disequilibrium in July, lowest disequilibrium in January with no statistically signi-cant trend over the past 32 years. The analysis provides a perspective on the interconnections of temperature, energy and entropy for the atmosphere and allows for a quantitative investigation of the deviation of the atmosphere from thermodynamic equilibrium.
Received: 17 July 2014 / Accepted: 3 March 2015 / Published online: 18 March 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015
Keywords Thermodynamic disequilibrium Energy
Entropy Temperature Global warming
1 Introduction
Most phenomena in the atmosphere are characterized by thermodynamic irreversibility and evolve in time with increases in entropy. The circulation is maintained by the instability of the atmospheric system, and this question has been studied from a variety of different perspectives. Lorenz (1955) presented the Lorenz Energy Cycle (LEC) theory explaining the energetics of atmosphere mainly from a mechanical perspective with kinetic energy produced at the expense of available potential energy (APE), a measure of the instability of the atmosphere. A number of other groups have sought to address the question from a thermodynamic perspective focusing on the budget of atmospheric energy and entropy (e.g. Coleman and Greenberg 1967;...