# Is the Martian atmosphere in disequilibrium

TY - JOUR

T1 - Evaluation of the atmospheric chemical entropy production of mars

AU - Martin-Torres, Javier

PY - 2015/1/1

Y1 - 2015/1/1

N2 - Thermodynamic disequilibrium is a necessary situation in a system in which complex emergent structures are created and maintained. It is known that most of the chemical disequilibrium, a particular type of thermodynamic disequilibrium, in Earth's atmosphere is a consequence of life. We have developed a thermochemical model for the Martian atmosphere to analyze the disequilibrium by chemical reactions calculating the entropy production. It follows from the comparison with the Earth atmosphere that the magnitude of the entropy produced by the recombination reaction forming O3 (O + O2 + CO2 ⇋ O3 + CO2) in the atmosphere of the Earth is larger than the entropy produced by the dominant set of chemical reactions considered for Mars, as a consequence of the low density and the poor variety of species of the Martian atmosphere. If disequilibrium is needed to create and maintain self-organizing structures in a system, we conclude that the current Martian atmosphere is unable to support large physico-chemical structures, such as those created on Earth.

AB - Thermodynamic disequilibrium is a necessary situation in a system in which complex emergent structures are created and maintained. It is known that most of the chemical disequilibrium, a particular type of thermodynamic disequilibrium, in Earth's atmosphere is a consequence of life. We have developed a thermochemical model for the Martian atmosphere to analyze the disequilibrium by chemical reactions calculating the entropy production. It follows from the comparison with the Earth atmosphere that the magnitude of the entropy produced by the recombination reaction forming O3 (O + O2 + CO2 ⇋ O3 + CO2) in the atmosphere of the Earth is larger than the entropy produced by the dominant set of chemical reactions considered for Mars, as a consequence of the low density and the poor variety of species of the Martian atmosphere. If disequilibrium is needed to create and maintain self-organizing structures in a system, we conclude that the current Martian atmosphere is unable to support large physico-chemical structures, such as those created on Earth.

KW - Disequilibrium

KW - Entropy production

KW - Life

KW - Mars

KW - Non-equilibrium thermodynamics

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84940479161&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84940479161&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/e17075047

DO - 10.3390/e17075047

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84940479161

VL - 17

SP - 5047

EP - 5062

JO - Entropy

JF - Entropy

SN - 1099-4300

IS - 7

ER -
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