PAICEX (PanArctic Ice Camp Expedition) is the Science Project (www.paicex.ru) to investigate the relationships among physical, chemical and biological processes in the Central Arctic Ocean and represents the most complex interdisciplinary study ever undertaken in the Arctic.

In April 2007, in a frame of PAICEX program as a component of the Russian IPY Science Plan, 2007-2008, there was planned to organize investigations at the meso-scale polygon in the vicinity of the North Pole to carry out physical, chemical and biological measurements of the Transarctic sea ice out-flow (e.g. transport of water mass, snow/ice thickness, nutrients, contaminants and biological tracers).

Second expedition in frame of the PAICEX project? was planned during March-April 2008.

Scientific concept of  PAICEX is to show:

• How will recent warming in the Arctic affect physical, chemical and biological properties of the sea ice-upper ocean system?
• Do the recent remarkable shrinking and melting of permanent sea ice cover and warming and freshening of surface water in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean represent to be local or connect with globally processes in a whole scale of the Arctic Ocean?
• Still now, information about these questions is still insufficient, however, the knowledge is very important for assessment of the permanent sea-ice cover condition and modeling of climatic and ecological processes in the Arctic Ocean in the nearest future.