The CLIVAR project was launched in 1995 building on the successes of the Tropical Ocean – Global Atmosphere Project (TOGA) and the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) to further understanding of the ocean circulation and the atmosphere-ocean interactions.

CLIVAR is one of four core Projects of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP):

CLIVAR – Climate and Ocean: Variability, Predictability and Change.

GEWEX – Global Energy and Water Exchanges

SPARC - Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate

CliC - Climate and Cryosphere

Within WCRP, CLIVAR works closely with its sister WCRP core projects, in particular in the implementation of the WCRP Grand Science Challenges (link), and with the WCRP global modelling working groups (WGCM and WGSIP) and Working Group on Regional Climate (WGRC). The WCRP Modelling and Data and Analysis Councils (WMAC and WDAC) serve to coordinate high-level aspects of modelling and data across WCRP, integrating CLIVAR efforts with those of the other WCRP activities and other partners such as WWRP and Future Earth.

Outside WCRP, CLIVAR depends on the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), to implement and coordinate observations in support of climate research. CLIVAR representatives are therefore ex-officio members of the GCOS/GOOS/WCRP Ocean Observation Panel for Climate (OOPC) that oversees the implementation of the ocean observing system in support of the Framework for Ocean Observing (FOO), led by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), one of the three WCRP sponsoring organizations.

CLIVAR also contributes to initiatives of the two other WCRP sponsors, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Science Council (ISC).  

The Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), is a global partnership of governments and organizations that produce and use climate information and services, guiding the development and application of science-based climate information and services in support of decision-making. The needs identified in climate services is one motivation for climate research, and the knowledge gained and information facilitated through CLIVAR can benefit climate services.

CLIVAR works closely with several other existing projects, in particular PAGES, IMBER ,SOLAS and PICES. CLIVAR activities and scientists contribute and will contribute to the success of Future Earth, a new 10-year international research initiative that is bringing together three of the major global environmental change programmes (DIVERSITAS, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP)) to develop the knowledge needed to effectively respond to the risks and opportunities of global environmental change, and in support of transformation towards global sustainability in the coming decades.

National and multi-national activities are where CLIVAR science is implemented. National projects, agencies and institutions funding and supporting CLIVAR research are too numerous to be listed here; specific activities are referred to in the related Panel and Research Foci webpages.