VISITING TOGAS PAST

The origin of the Tropical Oceans-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Program was closely related to the response of global atmospheric circulation to sea surface temperature variations in the tropical Pacific Ocean, whic h is evident by the El Nino phenomenon. During the two decades before the 1985 start of TOGA, advancements in scientific understanding of th e tropical ocean and global atmosphere and advancements in technology provided strong foundations for TOGA. By the early 1980s, research had demonstrated a strong linkage between tropical SST variations and glo bal atmospheric circulation, and discussions of an international ocean -atmosphere program had begun. Probably the single most important even t leading to the creation of TOGA was the unannounced arrival in 1982 of the largest El Nino in a century.