UNESCO`s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Thursday established a training and research center on Ocean Dynamics and Climate (ODC) in Qingdao, a coastal city in east Shandong province.

The first training course, considered the formal start of the ODC center, began Friday and will last until Thursday, during which ten experts from different countries will introduce ocean circulation models and wave-circulation theory in English to 69 trainees from 10 different countries, said Zhang Zhanhai, an official with the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

Hosted by SOA`s First Institute of Oceanography, the center will take 15 to 20 trainees each year in the coming four years, he said.

UNESCO IOC was founded in 1960 to promote international cooperation and to coordinate programs in marine research and services in order to learn and manage the resources of the ocean and coastal areas.