Tropical Pacific observing for the next decade

More than 60 scientists and program officials from 13 countries met at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for the Tropical Pacific Observing System (TPOS) 2020 Workshop. The workshop, although motivated in part by the dramatic decline of NOAA's Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy reporting from mid‐2012 to early 2014 (see http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014‐03‐07/aging‐el‐nino‐buoys‐getting‐fixed‐as‐weather‐forecasts‐at‐risk.html), evaluated the needs for tropical Pacific observing and initiated efforts to develop a more resilient and integrative observing system for the future.