HR: 16:35h
AN: NG14A-03 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Land Surface Energy Balance and Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) Principle
AU: * Wang, J
EM: jfwang@mit.edu
AF: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT 48-336A 15 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 United States
AU: Bras, R L
EM: rlbras@mit.edu
AF: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT 48-336A 15 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 United States
AB: The theory of maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and maximum entropy production (MEP) in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics has attracted growing attention in recent years in the study of earth's climate and ecosystems. The principles of MaxEnt/MEP may offer an alternative means to understand the physical mechanisms behind the water and heat exchange over the land surface, which could lead to improved parameterization of the processes. We have attempted to establish alink between the partition of radiative energy input at the land surface into turbulent and conductive fluxes to the principle of MEP. It is found that the recently proposed maximum eveporation hypothesis is consistent with the MEP principle. We further argue that transpiration from plants may follow the same laws. The possibility of applying the MEP theory to the process of turbulent heat transport in the amospheric boundary layer is discussed.
DE: 4430 Complex systems
DE: 5215 Origin of life
SC: Nonlinear Geophysics [NG]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005