Indo-German School on The Second Law in Earth System Science (SLESS-2025) 

ABOUT THE EVENT

The Indo-German School on "The Second Law in Earth System Science" (SLESS-2025) was successfully conducted from March 3-7, 2025, at IIT Roorkee, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany. This five-day workshop brought together leading scientists, early-career researchers, and curious minds, all eager to explore how the Second Law of Thermodynamics governs Earth system processes with a particular emphasis on the Indian Monsoon, climate, and hydrological cycling. 

OBJECTIVES

• Explore how thermodynamic principles shape planetary and environmental systems.

• Examine the Earth as a heat engine and the role of entropy in governing its evolution.

• Introduce the Maximum Power Principle and its relevance to hydrology, climate, and ecosystem dynamics.

• Understand how the Indian Monsoon fits into the broader thermodynamic framework—examining its variability, energy fluxes, and constraints.

• Provide hands-on experience in applying thermodynamic concepts to real-world datasets.

• Foster open science discussions, encouraging an interactive exchange of ideas beyond formal lectures.

EVENTS

• Expert Lectures

• Hands-on Tutorials

• Panel Discussion

• Poster Presentation

SPEAKERS

• Prof. Axel Kleidon, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany

• Prof. Vinod Gaur, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, India

• Prof. Govindasamy Bala, Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, India

• Prof. Subimal Ghosh, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), Mumbai, India

• Prof. B. N. Goswami, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, India

• Prof. Somnath Baidya Roy, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D), New Delhi, India

• Prof. Ankit Agrawal, Department of Hydrology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.

• Prof. M.V. Sunil Krishna, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee

COURSE DIRECTORS

SPONSORS 

ORGANISERS 

Student Coordinator
Deepak P, PhD scholar
Department of Hydrology, IIT Roorkee
deepak_p@hy.iitr.ac.in