Bits, blog posts, and links on thermodynamics and Earth system science from Axel Kleidon's research group at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany
Thermodynamics – sounds complicated? It should not! Because it deals with one of the most central aspects of how the Earth system functions: that processes perform work! And this work maintains the dynamics of the Earth system, shaping climate, the hydrologic cycle, and other systems. I am back in Firenze giving two lectures on 4th and 5th of June, also accessible online. More infos in this blogpost.
Each year geoscientists migrate to Vienna in the spring. Because it is a nice time to meet, and the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union takes place, this time in early May, from 04 May to 08 May 2026. We are thrilled to be there, meet colleagues and friends, and discuss science. Our group will be involved in quite a few presentations – check out this blogpost for more infos.
Continue reading “#EGU26: Vienna again with maximum power ahead! We will talk about the maximum power limit and land-atmosphere interactions, mountain warming trends, VPD and its trends, precipitation, and soil dynamics.”
Again we were in India in March. This year, we visited Sarosh at IIT Kanpur with a short course on “Thermodynamics for Climate, Water, and Urban Systems sustainability”, discussed thermodynamics, maximum power, glaciers and climate change in Pune at IITM and IISER, and visited IIT Bombay for a workshop and seminar. And talked a lot with colleagues and students. More in this blogpost.
Continue reading “Touring India 2026: Short courses/workshops/talks at Kanpur, Pune, and Bombay to discuss how many features of climate can be better understood with a little bit of more thermodynamics…”
As the new year is still young, this is good time to reflect on where we are as a group, with our work on thermodynamics and the relevance of entropy for the Earth system and the energy transition, what we have accomplished in the past year, and what to look forward to in the new year, including short courses, conferences etc that we plan to do. It helps to stay optimistic in these difficult times that we currently face. More in this blogpost.
Continue reading “Welcome 2026: Status of our group, our work on thermodynamics, Earth system science, the energy transition, and our plans ahead”
We just finished our summer vacation, but that‘s no break from feeling the impacts of global warming. This year we crossed the Austrian Alps and the Appenin mountains in central Italy with our bikes – but where were the ice-covered peaks and why was Italy so hot? Some thoughts on the basic physics involved and why climate change may already be more severe than what some models anticipate.
Continue reading “Notes from vacation: Thoughts on why climate change impacts in the Alps and Italy are already much more severe than what a 1.5 degree target suggests”
It’s April again, the month when Europe’s largest geoscience union, EGU, convenes for its General Assembly in Vienna, Austria. This year, EGU-24 is scheduled to take place from 14 – 19 April 2024, and we are thrilled to be there and share our science. Our group will be contributing to several presentations, including those by Tejasvi, Sarosh, Axel, Pinhsin and Yinglin.
Continue reading “#EGU24: We will be in Vienna to share our updates on thermodynamics, hydrologic sensitivities, biodiversity-climate interactions, temperature extremes and wind energy impacts.”
Our last stop is Kashmir, where we hold a weeklong workshop on thermodynamics and optimality in climate, water cycle, ecosystems, renewable energy and sustainability. We have intense and stimulating interactions, hands-on sessions organized by Sarosh and Tejasvi, and an excursion into the mountains.
Continue reading “Touring India 2024 – Stop 4: Short course and workshop on thermodynamics and optimality of Earth systems at the Islamic University of Science and Technology near Srinagar, Kashmir”
Our next stop is at the IIT Kanpur, 400 km east of Delhi at the banks of the Ganges river. Time passes quickly. We spend time preparing lectures, meeting Saurabh – our future new PhD student – and participated in a workshop on sustainable cities. There, we had enlightening discussions on fractals, power laws, and how these relate to thermodynamics and can be applied to cities.
Continue reading “Touring India 2024 – Stop 3: Workshop and inspiring discussions on sustainable cities, thermodynamics and fractals at IIT Kanpur”
Our next stop is Aligarh Muslim University – the home and Alma Mater of Sarosh, who just completed his PhD in my group. We visit the campus, talk thermodynamics, meet faculty and Sarosh’s family.
Continue reading “Touring India 2024 – Stop 2: Visiting Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh, about 130 km east of Delhi”We are back in India again, travelling to Delhi, Aligarh, Kanpur and Kashmir. We will meet good friends and colleagues, interact with students, to talk thermodynamics and Earth system science in seminars, at nice places worth seeing, and in a week-long short course in Kashmir. And we’ll enjoy the company and the good food.
Continue reading “Touring India 2024 to talk about thermodynamics, climate, renewable energy and sustainability at various places. Stop 1: Delhi”
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