Scientists prepare for year-long expedition to Arctic center

Researchers from more than a dozen nations prepared Friday to launch the biggest and most complex expedition ever attempted in the central Arctic a yearlong journey through the ice they hope will improve the scientific models that underpin our understanding of climate change.

The 140-million euro (USD 158 million) expedition will see 600 scientists from 19 countries including Germany, the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China work together in one of the most inhospitable regions of the planet.

"The Arctic is the epicenter of global climate change," said Markus Rex of Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Ocean Research, who will lead the expedition.

"At the same time the Arctic is the region of the planet where we understand the climate system least."
"This has big implications for the ecosystem."