QINGDAO, April 14 -- A research office for Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR), a core project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), will be set up in the east China coastal city of Qingdao.

The office will be established at the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), which signed the agreement with the WCRP on Friday, said Ma Deyi, director of the SOA's First Institute of Oceanography, on Monday.

The office will support the project's Scientific Steering Group and cooperate with the WCRP to implement the project objectives and facilitate the development of scientific, educational and outreach activities through climate community engagement, Ma said.

The office will also help Chinese scientists take part in international ocean and climate change research and promote scientific research and technologies for climatological observation and prediction in China.

CLIVAR was established based on a decision by a joint scientific committee for WCRP in March 1993. It focuses on the role of interactions between the ocean and atmosphere within the climate system.

WCRP is an international research coordination program co-sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the International Council for Science.