Entropy flow and the evolution of a storm

Abstract

The universal principle that an open system can be driven to a state far from equilibrium, or organized, by strong negative entropy flow from its surroundings has been validated in numerous fields from physics and chemistry to the life science. In this paper, entropy flows for a severe storm are calculated via the entropy flow formula using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data. The results show that the intensification of negative (positive) entropy flow entering into the storm preceded the strengthening (weakening) of its intensity, implying that entropy flow analysis can be used as a potential tool in forecasting changes in the intensity of a storm.