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Understanding Complex Systems

Life, Earth, and Beyond

By: Axel Kleidon (Editor), Ralph D. Lorenz (Editor)

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Hardcover | 18 November 2004

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Hardcover
284 Pages

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23.5 x 15.88 x 1.91

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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.

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Paperback

Published: 22nd October 2010

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Entropy Production by Earth System Processes	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Entropy Production of Climate Systems	p. 2
Earth's Climate System	p. 3
Other Planetary Climate Systems	p. 4
The Principles of Minimum and Maximum Entropy Production	p. 5
Heat Transport and Minimum Entropy Production	p. 6
Heat Transport and Maximum Entropy Production	p. 7
Maximum Entropy Productionina Planetary Context	p. 10
Minimization Versus Maximization of Entropy Production	p. 11
Entropy Production and Life on Earth	p. 12
Environmental Effects of Biotic Activity	p. 12
The Gaia Hypothesis	p. 14
Optimization and Entropy Production Within the Biosphere	p. 14
Structure of This Book	p. 16
Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics in an Energy-Rich Universe	p. 21
Introduction	p. 21
Time's Arrow	p. 22
Cosmological Setting	p. 24
Complexity Rising	p. 26
Stumbling into the MEP Racket: An Historical Perspective	p. 33
Maximum Entropy Production and Non-equilibrium Statistical Mechanics	p. 41
Introduction	p. 42
Boltzmann, Gibbs, Shannon, Jaynes	p. 43
Macroscopic Reproducibility	p. 45
The Concept of Caliber	p. 47
Path Information Formalism of NESM	p. 47
New Results Far from Equilibrium	p. 49
Maximum Entropy Production (MEP)	p. 50
The Fluctuation Theorem (FT)	p. 51
Self-Organized Criticality(SOC)	p. 52
Thermodynamics of Life	p. 53
Further Prospects	p. 53
Using Ecology to Quantify Organization in Fluid Flows	p. 57
Introduction	p. 57
Constraint Among Biotic Processes	p. 58
Quantifying Constraint in Fluid Flow	p. 61
Identifying Flow Bottlenecks	p. 64
Conclusion	p. 64
Cosmological and Biological Reproducibility: Limits on the Maximum Entropy Production Principle	p. 67
Maximum Entropy Production and Reproducibility	p. 67
Cosmological Reproducibility	p. 68
The Entropy of an Observable Universe Must Start Low	p. 68
Expansion Does Not Increase the Entropy of the Universe	p. 70
Return of the Heat Death	p. 71
Biological Reproducibility	p. 73
Does Life Increase the Total Entropy Growth over What It Would Be Without Life?	p. 73
Applying the Maximum Entropy Principle to Biological Evolution	p. 75
Does the MEP Imply That Life Is Common in the Universe?	p. 76
Entropy Production in Turbulent Mixing	p. 79
Introduction	p. 79
MEP in Classical Thermodynamics	p. 82
MEP in Two-Dimensional Turbulence	p. 84
Application to Stellar Systems	p. 88
Conclusions	p. 89
Entropy Production of Atmospheric Heat Transport	p. 93
Introduction	p. 93
Entropy Production in an Idealized Dry Atmosphere	p. 95
Global Budget of Energy and Entropy	p. 96
Sources of Entropy Production	p. 96
Theoretical Upper Bound of Entropy Production	p. 97
Testing Maximum Entropy Production with Atmospheric General Circulation Models	p. 98
Simulated Entropy Production in the Climatological Mean	p. 98
Comparingthe Analytic MEP Solution to the Simulated Atmosphere	p. 99
Sensitivity of Entropy Production to Internal Parameters	p. 101
Climatological Implications	p. 103
Water Vapor and Entropy Production in the Earth's Atmosphere	p. 107
Introduction	p. 107
Idealized Cycles	p. 110
Cycle A: Pure Dehumidifier	p. 110
Cycle B: Atmospheric Dehumidifier and Water Vapor Expansion	p. 112
Cycle C: Sensible Heat Transport	p. 114
Dehumidifier Versus Heat Engine	p. 115
Frictional Dissipation in Falling Precipitation	p. 116
Entropy Budget of the Earth's Atmosphere	p. 117
Thermodynamics of the Ocean Circulation: A Global Perspective on the Ocean System and Living Systems	p. 121
Introduction	p. 121
Calculation of Entropy Production	p. 123
Model Description and Experimental Method	p. 124
Entropy Production in a Steady State	p. 126
Entropy Production During Transition Among Multiple Steady States	p. 127
Entropy Production During Evolution of Structure	p. 128
Analogy Between Ocean System and Living System	p. 130
Entropy and the Shaping of the Landscape by Water	p. 135
Introduction	p. 135
Early Work by Leopold and Langbein	p. 136
Scaling Laws in Hydrology	p. 138
Thermodynamics of Fractal Networks	p. 141
Entropy and Shoreline Profiles	p. 144
Concluding Remarks	p. 145
Entropy Production in the Planetary Context	p. 147
Equator-Pole Temperature Gradients of Planetary Atmospheres	p. 147
Earth	p. 148
Titan	p. 148
Mars	p. 149
Venus	p. 150
Other Planets	p. 150
Other Processes in Planetary Atmospheres	p. 150
A Probabilistic Explanation for MEP	p. 151
Dissipation and Heat Transport	p. 152
Geomorphology and Dissipative Structures	p. 154
The Yarkovsky Effect -Migration of Meteorites via a Photon Heat Engine	p. 155
Dyson Sphere -The Ultimate Stage in Planetary Evolution	p. 157
Concluding Remarks	p. 158
The Free-Energy Transduction and Entropy Production in Initial Photosynthetic Reactions	p. 161
Introduction	p. 161
TheTwo State Kinetic Model	p. 162
The Five State Model for Chlorophyll Based Photoconversion	p. 164
Slip Coefficients and Forward Static Head State	p. 167
Conclusions	p. 168
Biotic Entropy Production and Global Atmosphere-Biosphere Interactions	p. 173
Introduction	p. 173
Photosynthetic Activity and Climatic Constraints	p. 175
Climatic Constraints on Biotic Productivity	p. 175
Dynamic Constraints of Terrestrial Energy- and Water Exchange	p. 177
Biogeophysical Effects and Feedbacks	p. 178
Vegetation Effects on Land Surface Characteristics	p. 178
Climate Feedbacks of Terrestrial Vegetation	p. 179
Biotic Entropy Production and MEP	p. 181
Conditions for Biotic MEP States	p. 182
Biotic States of MEP	p. 183
Biotic MEP and Gaia	p. 186
Conclusions	p. 187
Coupled Evolution of Earth's Atmosphere and Biosphere	p. 191
Introduction	p. 191
The Earliest Earth:Its Atmosphere and Biosphere	p. 192
What Was the Composition of the Prebiotic Atmosphere?	p. 192
When Did Earth Acquirea Biosphere?	p. 192
What Effect Did Primitive Life Have on the Early Atmosphere?	p. 193
Long-Term Climate Evolution and the Biosphere	p. 195
Atmospheric Redox Change: The Rise of Oxygen	p. 197
Oxygen, Energy, and Life	p. 199
Aerobic Versus Anaerobic Energetics	p. 199
Why Complex Life Anywhere in the Universe Will Likely Use Oxygen	p. 200
The Anomalous Nature of Earth's Current Atmosphere	p. 202
Temperature, Biogenesis, and Biospheric Self-Organization	p. 207
Introduction	p. 207
Cosmology and Temperature	p. 208
Biogenesis at Life's Upper Temperature Limit: A Hyperthermophilic Origin of Life	p. 208
The Temperature Constraint on Biologic Evolution	p. 212
Future Directions	p. 217
Entropy and Gaia: Is There a Link Between MEP and Self-Regulation in the Climate System?	p. 223
Introduction	p. 223
Daisyworld	p. 224
Model Formulation	p. 226
Two-Component System	p. 229
Multi-component System	p. 231
Saturated Growth	p. 231
A Two-Box Model	p. 233
Slow Daisies	p. 234
Discussion	p. 239
Insights from Thermodynamics for the Analysis of Economic Processes	p. 243
Introduction	p. 243
Thermodynamic Constraints on Production and Consumption	p. 245
Constraints at Macroeconomic Levels	p. 246
Thermodynamics and the "Evolution" of Economic Processes	p. 248
Information and Knowledge	p. 249
Conclusion	p. 251
Index	p. 255
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Understanding Complex Systems

Life, Earth, and Beyond

At a Glance

Hardcover

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