Entropy Production and Energy Dissipation in Climate Change Modeling: A Second-Law Perspective

Abstract

This study explores the climate system as a non-equilibrium thermodynamic system driven by solar radiation and balanced by infrared emission to space. Within this framework, entropy production is used as a quantitative measure of irreversibility and energy dissipation across atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial processes. A second-law perspective is applied to climate change modeling to assess how entropy production constrains energy conversion, circulation intensity, and feedback behavior. The study separates radiative entropy production, linked to the absorption and emission of radiation, from material entropy production, which arises from turbulence, heat fluxes, and phase transitions. Evaluating these components provides insight into how energy is redistributed and degraded within the system, and how this affects overall climate dynamics. Results indicate that increasing greenhouse gas concentrations reshape the pathways of entropy generation. Enhanced retention of long-wave radiation strengthens internal dissipative processes, leading to higher material entropy production and shifting the balance between radiative and non-radiative contributions. These changes affect the efficiency of energy transport and influence large-scale circulation patterns. In addition, variations in entropy production offer a useful lens for examining climate sensitivity and stability. Increased internal irreversibility reflects modifications in feedback mechanisms and suggests potential movement toward altered equilibrium states. This thermodynamic approach helps clarify the fundamental constraints governing climate system responses to external forcing.