Free Republic

A team of scientists from 19 countries will set off for the Arctic on Friday, aiming to freeze their ship into the polar ice for a year to research the changing climate. Aboard the massive icebreaker Polarstern, belonging to Germany’s Alfred Wegener polar and marine research institute, researchers hope to glean new understanding of the region. The 140 million-euro ($155 million) mission will study the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, ecosystem and natural processes — looking to build a picture of how climate change is affecting the region and the entire world. “No other region of the world has warmed as...