The Maximum Entropy Production Principle: Its Theoretical Foundations and Applications to the Earth System

Entropy

James Dyke¹ 

[1] Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany

关键词: thermodynamics;    entropy production;    non-equilibrium statistical mechanics;    Bayesian inference;    Earth System Modelling;   

DOI  :  10.3390/e12030613

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) principle has been remarkably successful in producing accurate predictions for non-equilibrium states. We argue that this is because the MEP principle is an effective inference procedure that produces the best predictions from the available information. Since all Earth system processes are subject to the conservation of energy, mass and momentum, we argue that in practical terms the MEP principle should be applied to Earth system processes in terms of the already established framework of non-equilibrium thermodynamics, with the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium at the appropriate scales.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.