title: The two-box model of climate: limitations and applications to planetary habitability and maximum entropy production studies.
abstract: The 'two-box model' of planetary climate is discussed. This model has been used to demonstrate consistency of the equator-pole temperature gradient on Earth, Mars and Titan with what would be predicted from a principle of maximum entropy production (MEP). While useful for exposition and for generating first-order estimates of planetary heat transports, it has too low a resolution to investigate climate systems with strong feedbacks. A two-box MEP model agrees well with the observed day : night temperature contrast observed on the extrasolar planet HD 189733b.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA. ralph.lorenz@jhuapl.edu
authors.forename: Ralph D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Lorenz
mesh_terms: D002980:Climate; D018534:Earth, Planet; D019277:Entropy; D018535:Mars; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D018539:Saturn; D013696:Temperature