Tropical Ocean–Global Atmosphere

Tropical Ocean–Global Atmosphere
Name	Tropical Ocean–Global Atmosphere
Abbreviation	TOGA
Established	1985
Duration	1985–1994
Sponsor	World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, International Council for Science
Headquarters	Geneva
Country	International
Focus	Tropical El Niño–Southern Oscillation, ocean–atmosphere interactions, climate variability

Tropical Ocean–Global Atmosphere

Tropical Ocean–Global Atmosphere was an international research program that coordinated observational, theoretical, and modeling efforts to understand tropical ocean–atmosphere interactions and their influence on global climate, engaging institutions such as the World Meteorological Organization, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Met Office, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory in a decade-long effort that intersected with initiatives like International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme, Global Atmospheric Research Program, Climate Variability and Predictability and International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

Overview

TOGA sought to characterize variability associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and to improve prediction skill by integrating field campaigns, sustained observing systems, theoretical studies, and numerical experiments involving actors such as European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Washington, CSIRO, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Japan Meteorological Agency. The program linked datasets from platforms like ARGO (oceanography), TAO/TRITON array, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, TOPEX/Poseidon, and modeling centers including National Center for Atmospheric Research, GFDL, Hadley Centre, Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques and engaged communities represented by American Geophysical Union, European Geosciences Union, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics.

History and Development

TOGA was launched in the mid-1980s under coordination of World Meteorological Organization and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission with contributions from national agencies such as NOAA, NASA, UK Met Office, Bureau of Meteorology (Australia), Japan Meteorological Agency and research institutions including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and University of Tokyo. Major field programs and workshops convened participants from University of California, Los Angeles, University of Miami, University of Hawaii, Columbia University, University of Reading, Imperial College London, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Météo-France, CSIR and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. TOGA’s development paralleled campaigns like International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, World Ocean Circulation Experiment, Global Ocean Observing System and informed assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Scientific Objectives and Scope

Primary objectives included elucidating mechanisms of El Niño–Southern Oscillation variability, establishing observing systems for tropical oceans, and improving coupled model prediction skill at seasonal-to-interannual timescales in collaboration with European Space Agency, National Science Foundation, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace and Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmosfera. TOGA’s scope encompassed surface flux studies, oceanic thermocline dynamics, tropical convection processes, air–sea coupling and predictability research that linked to projects at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (for numerical methods), Los Alamos National Laboratory (for computing), Argonne National Laboratory and supercomputing centers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Observational Components and Methods

Observational efforts integrated moorings such as the TAO/TRITON array, satellite altimetry from TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-1, scatterometry from missions tied to European Space Agency, in situ ship observations from RMS Discovery-type research cruises, and upper-ocean profiling technologies developed at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory. Methods included coupled ocean–atmosphere data assimilation used by ECMWF, NCEP, GFDL and modeling suites from MITgcm, POP (ocean model), CICE and assimilation frameworks developed at NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Field experiments referenced instrumentation standards from International Standards Organization and coordination through entities like Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

Key Findings and Impacts on Climate Science

TOGA demonstrated that prediction of El Niño–Southern Oscillation events could be substantially improved by sustained observations and coupled models, shaping operational forecasting at NOAA, JMA, Met Office and Bureau of Meteorology (Australia). Results influenced IPCC assessments and spurred advances in coupled general circulation models at GFDL, Hadley Centre, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and NCAR. TOGA findings also informed disaster preparedness in agencies like United Nations Development Programme and World Bank and supported applications in Food and Agriculture Organization decision-making. The program catalyzed scientific advances in air–sea flux parameterizations, ocean mixed-layer theory, and understanding of teleconnections linking the tropics to regions monitored by National Centers for Environmental Prediction and climate impacts studied at Columbia University’s Lamont campus.

Collaborations and Institutional Participants

Major collaborators included World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, NOAA, NASA, European Space Agency, Met Office, CSIRO, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, GFDL, Hadley Centre, ECMWF, Japan Meteorological Agency, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada and numerous universities including Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, San Diego, Columbia University, University of Tokyo, University of Reading, Imperial College London, Max Planck Society and research councils such as National Science Foundation and Natural Environment Research Council.

Legacy and Ongoing Programs

TOGA’s infrastructure, datasets and community capacity-building seeded successor programs and sustained observing systems including TOGA TAO, Global Climate Observing System, Argo (oceanography), Tropical Atmosphere Ocean project maintenance, and international initiatives under Global Framework for Climate Services, World Climate Research Programme, Climate and Ocean: Variability, Predictability and Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The program’s legacy endures in operational seasonal forecasts at NOAA Climate Prediction Center, climate research at NCAR, Hadley Centre, ongoing satellite missions by NASA and ESA, and university research programs at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and University of Miami.

Category:Climate research programs