Thermodynamics of Natural Systems

Reviews / Votes

'The beauty and power of this book is how Greg Anderson shows us, in rigorous yet practical and pictorial terms, how we can learn about the fundamental behaviour of our complex planet from classical thermodynamics alone. Anderson conveys this ... with fervor, with humor and with many calculated examples - which all emphasize that asking the right question is the key to meaningful simplification, and to answers that capture the essence of complex natural systems.' Christoph A. Heinrich, Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zuerich, Switzerland 'Thermodynamics is one of the most universal scientific disciplines ... But being so universal also requires it to be introduced and taught very differently to students in such diverse fields of science. This 3rd edition is a really welcome and timely book in this context. The book introduces and discusses the most important concepts of equilibrium thermodynamics in their specific applications to geological and environmental sciences. The author has made particular efforts to only use minimum necessary formal mathematical apparatus to present the thermodynamic laws and relationships. However, this is carefully done without any oversimplification or loss of physical accuracy ... The textbook can be recommended as a very good introductory course in thermodynamics for undergraduate geoscience and environmental science students.' Andrey G. Kalinichev, Ecole des Mines de Nantes, France