Distinguished Series of Lectures on Thermodynamics of Earth System

Earth Science Lecture Series-6‍Topic: “How Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics shape the Earth system”

‍Abstract:‍Entropy plays a fundamental role in the Earth system because it sets a direction for processes and constrains how much work can be generated from sunlight – work that is needed to maintain motion, cycling, and the metabolisms associated with life. This may sound complicated. Yet, what I intend to show in this talk is that using entropy allows us to set up quite simple, intuitive, yet physically-based descriptions of Earth system processes and their response to climate change. I illustrate this description using a few examples related to land surface climate, hydrological cycling, and global climate change.

‍‍Speaker: Prof. Axel Kelidon