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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 31, L01108, doi:10.1029/2003GL018071, 2004

Negative entropy flow and its effect on the organization of synoptic-scale severe atmospheric systems

Chongjian Liu

Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China


Ying Liu

Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China


Abstract

The relation between the entropy exchange of an open atmospheric system in non-equilibrium conditions with its environment and the organization of the system is examined in terms of the theory of dissipative structures. In this paper, the integrative form of the entropy balance equation in a form suitable for describing the entropy budget of an atmospheric system as a whole is derived starting from the Gibbs relation, and, as examples, the entropy flows of a West Pacific typhoon and a Bay of Bengal cyclone are calculated. The results show that negative entropy flows have an important effect on the organization of atmospheric dissipative structures and that the evolution of negative entropy flows is a good indicator of the life cycle of an atmospheric system.

Received 30 June 2003; accepted 17 November 2003; published 15 January 2004.

Index Terms: 3299 Mathematical Geophysics: General or miscellaneous; 3364 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Synoptic-scale meteorology; 3399 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: General or miscellaneous; 3374 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Tropical meteorology; 9810 General or Miscellaneous: New fields (not classifiable under other headings).

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Citation: Liu, C., and Y. Liu (2004), Negative entropy flow and its effect on the organization of synoptic-scale severe atmospheric systems, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L01108, doi:10.1029/2003GL018071.