Researchers launch Arctic expedition to study climate

An international team of researchers set off Friday on the biggest and most complex expedition ever attempted in the central Arctic, a yearlong journey they hope will sharpen the scientific models that underpin human understanding of climate change.

The $158 million expedition into the ice will see 600 scientists from 19 countries, including Germany, the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China, working together in one of the most inhospitable regions of the planet.