Agreement between ESSO-IITM India and WCRP, Geneva on hosting International CLIVAR Monsoon Project Office at ESSO-IITM, Pune, India

No: --- Dated: Aug, 12 2015

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today was informed about the signing of an Agreement on 9th February 2015 between the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (ESSO-IITM), an autonomous organization under the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO), Ministry of Earth Sciences and World Climate Research Program (WCRP), Geneva for setting up of an International Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) Monsoon Project Office (ICMPO) at ESSO-IITM in Pune.

WCRP has identified three Institutes to host three International Climate Project Office (ICPO) nodes viz. International CLIVAR Global Project Office; International CLIVAR Monsoon Project Office (ICMPO) and International CLIVAR Modeling Project Office respectively. Following this agreement ICMPO will be set up at ESSO-IITM and will have unique responsibilities.

The ICMPO at ESSO-IITM Pune will be responsible for implementation of (i) intra-seasonal, seasonal and inter-annual variability and predictability of Monsoon systems, in close cooperation with relevant WCRP activities and (ii) development of a CLIVAR "Research Opportunity" on links between the Monsoons and the cryosphere.

Hosting of an ICPO node by ESSO-IITM will not only give it an international recognition, but will also help ESSO-IITM scientists to establish fruitful cooperation with the global community of climate researchers. It will lead to better understanding of climate variability and development of climate prediction models that are useful for the global community.

ESSQ-IITM as a host institution will provide office space and other required facilities for the ICMPO, salaries and other allowances for three contract scientists, salaries for three secretarial staff and support for official tours etc.

Background:

ESSO-IITM is a premiere research Institute generating scientific knowledge in the field of meteorology and atmospheric sciences that has potential application in various fields such as agriculture, economics, health, water resources, transportation, communications, etc. It functions as a national centre for basic and applied research in Monsoon meteorology.

WGRP, Geneva is an international research coordination programme with a mission to facilitate analysis and prediction of Earth system variability and change for use in an increasing range of practical applications of direct relevance, benefit and value to society. CLIVAR is a core project of WCRP with a goal to improve understanding and prediction of ocean-atmosphere interactions and their influence on climate variability and change, for the benefit of society and the environment.