Towards a physically motivated planetary accounting framework

Abstract

In this work, we present a physically motivated Planetary Accounting Framework for the Earth System. We show that the impact of the human activity in terms of the planetary boundary variables can be accounted for in our Landau–Ginzburg phase transition physical formulation. We then use the interaction between climate change and ocean acidification mechanisms to exemplify the relation of the concentration and flux of substances of the planetary boundary variables, as proposed by the accounting framework of Meyer and Newman, with the underlying thermodynamic transformation, quantifiable by the Landau–Ginzburg inspired model.