International CLIVAR Project

International CLIVAR Project
Name	International CLIVAR Project
Formation	1995
Type	Scientific research program
Region served	Global
Parent organization	World Climate Research Programme
Website	(see WCRP)

International CLIVAR Project The International CLIVAR Project is a global research program focused on climate variability and climate change, coordinating observational, modeling, and theoretical studies across multiple oceanography, atmospheric science, and paleoclimatology communities. It operates within the framework of the World Climate Research Programme, engaging national agencies, intergovernmental bodies, and academic institutions such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, UK Met Office, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory. The Project links field programs, numerical models, and synthesis activities with policy-relevant partners including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme, World Meteorological Organization, and regional consortia.

Overview

CLIVAR coordinates research on phenomena such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and interactions among the cryosphere, biosphere, and hydrological cycle by fostering collaboration among centers like NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Met Office Hadley Centre, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and national programs such as CSIRO, CNRS, GEOMAR, Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. CLIVAR links observational arrays like the Argo network, TAO/TRITON, PIRATA, RAPID Climate Change (RAPID) array, and paleoarchives curated by institutions such as British Antarctic Survey, Smithsonian Institution, University of Cambridge, Princeton University, and Columbia University.

History and Development

The Project was established in the context of initiatives including the World Climate Research Programme and predecessors such as the TOGA and WOCE programs, with formative meetings involving actors from International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, European Commission, National Science Foundation, Deutsches Klima-Konsortium, Australian Academy of Science, and the Royal Society. Early milestones included coordinated experiments and synthesis workshops held at venues such as Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and Georgetown University, and involvement of scientists affiliated with Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Washington, University of Tokyo, and Peking University. The Project evolved through strategic plans linked to assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, major field campaigns with partners like Argo and TAO/TRITON, and integration with modeling frameworks developed at ECMWF, NCAR, IPSL, and NOAA.

Scientific Objectives and Research Themes

CLIVAR’s central objectives include understanding variability and predictability on seasonal to centennial timescales, mechanisms of coupled ocean–atmosphere interactions exemplified by El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and the role of ocean heat transport in phenomena such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Southern Annular Mode. It supports process studies and model development in coordination with groups like Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Working Group on Numerical Experimentation, PAGES, CLIVAR Working Group, and national laboratories including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, and CONICET. Research themes intersect with paleoclimate reconstructions using proxies from Greenland Ice Sheet Project, EPICA, Vostok, Lake Baikal, and marine sediment cores from cruises by RV Knorr, RV Polarstern, and RV Investigator.

Organizational Structure and Governance

Governance is nested within the World Climate Research Programme with oversight from the WCRP Joint Scientific Committee and liaison with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and World Meteorological Organization. CLIVAR’s structure includes an international science steering committee, regional panels, and cross-cutting task teams that coordinate with model intercomparison efforts at CMIP institutions and data centers such as NERSC, PANGEA, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, UK Met Office Hadley Centre Archive, and Met Éireann. National contributions come from agencies like NOAA, NASA, UK Research and Innovation, European Space Agency, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Indian Space Research Organisation, CSIR South Africa, CONACYT, and research institutes including CSIRO and GEOMAR.

Major Programs and Regional Panels

CLIVAR established regional panels focused on basins and phenomena: the Indian Ocean Panel, Pacific Panel, Atlantic Panel, Southern Ocean Panel, and panels addressing the Mediterranean and Caribbean regions, engaging regional programs like GODAE, GOOS, SPARC, CLiC, and I-GOOS. Major programs include coordinated campaigns and synthesis projects such as the CLIVAR/PAGES East Asian Monsoon Project, CLIVAR Pacific Region CLIVAR Pacific Panel initiatives, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) Observing System, and collaborations with RAPID and OSNAP arrays, as well as ties to satellite missions from NASA, ESA, JAXA, and ISRO.

Key Findings and Contributions

CLIVAR-supported research has clarified mechanisms of ENSO diversity, the influence of subtropical gyres and boundary currents like the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio, and the role of tropical-extratropical teleconnections in modes such as the North Atlantic Oscillation and Southern Annular Mode. Contributions include improved seasonal-to-decadal prediction skill demonstrated by centers like ECMWF, NOAA Climate Prediction Center, Met Office Hadley Centre, and CNRM, advancement of coupled models in CMIP phases, and synthesis of paleoclimate evidence from IPCC assessments incorporating records from Greenland Ice Core Project and Antarctic ice core studies. Findings have informed policy dialogues at the UNFCCC and adaptation planning by entities including World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Data Management and Observational Initiatives

CLIVAR champions data sharing standards and observational networks, working with repositories and programs like Argo, TAO/TRITON, PIRATA, SOOP, GODAE, GO-SHIP, Global Ocean Observing System, International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set, and data centers including NOAA NCEI, PANGAEA, EMODnet, Copernicus, and UK Met Office Archive. The Project promotes synthesis using gridded products, reanalyses from ERA-Interim, ERA5, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, and ocean analyses from SODA. It supports open-data initiatives consistent with publishers and infrastructure at Digital Object Identifier registries, university libraries including Harvard University Library, Stanford University Libraries, and consortia such as DataONE.

Category:Climate research organizations