Mathematics Colloquium

In 1941, Kolmogorov derived a famous exact law for the energy flux in three-dimensional  turbulence.  Remarkably, it took almost 60 years before the law was adapted to two-dimensional turbulence. Even more recent are the applications of this kind of law to rotating and stratified flows occurring in atmosphere and ocean fluid dynamics.  In this colloquium the development of Kolmogorov’s  original law and of its subsequent adaptions are discussed in the context of turbulent flows relevant to atmosphere ocean science.  This includes a recent exact extension of the law for two-dimensional turbulence that covers the entire non-dissipative range of scales.