The climate is an important example of a non-equilibrium steady state system. The non-equilibrium nature of the climate means that a variety of irreversible processes must take place within it, whereas the steady characteristics imply that a time-independent balance must exist for some relevant quantities (e.g. energy, angular momentum, water, entropy). The quantity that describes the irreversibility of climatic processes is the entropy production. Furthermore, the general circulation of the atmosphere and the oceans redistributes the equatorial surplus of radiative energy towards the polar regions (meridional heat transport), generating wind motion (Hadley cell and baroclinic waves), which is then dissipated into frictional heating. The climate circulation therefore converts heat into kinetic energy thus acting as a heat engine, to which it is possible to associate a net energy input, a net energy output, mechanical work performed and a Carnot-like efficiency.

Research interests

• entropy production within the climate system
• climate energetics
• climate dynamics
• Thermodynamics of planetary atmospheres

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