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Thermodynamic dissipation and the global climate system
Author(s) -
Paltridge Garth W.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49710745305
Subject(s) - dissipation , latitude , climate model , boundary (topology) , climate change , climatology , entropy (arrow of time) , mathematics , environmental science , statistical physics , meteorology , atmospheric sciences , thermodynamics , physics , geology , mathematical analysis , geodesy , oceanography
The principle of maximum thermodynamic dissipation (minimum entropy exchange) suggested by Paltridge with reference to the earth‐atmosphere climate system concerns selection of a particular steady state from a spectrum of possible steady states of a system whose boundary properties are functions of internal behaviour. the physical basis of such selection is suggested in terms of the system's non‐linear response to natural fluctuations. the explanation is sufficiently general that the principle presumably applies to a broad class of non‐linear (i.e. multiple steady state) systems. With reference to the specific climate model of the earlier papers, it is pointed out that the regional or zonal ‘boxes’ of that model must be regarded as strictly zero‐dimensional; so that the earlier discussion involving a concept of upper boundary temperature was incorrect. the model is used to generate the zonalaverage climates of perpetual January and perpetual July. This leads to a determination of the seasonal change zonal‐average time constants of the climate system, which range from a minimum of about nine months at 30°N latitude to a maximum of about five years at 50°S latitude.