It is being billed as the biggest single Arctic research expedition ever planned. <br /> <br />Germany is going to sail its 120m-long research vessel, the Polarstern, into the sea-ice at the top of the world and just let it get stuck so it can drift across the north pole. <br /> <br />The 2,500km (1,550-mile) trip, to begin in 2019, is likely to take a year. <br /> <br />Researchers hope to gather valuable new insights on the region where Earth's climate is changing fastest. <br /> <br />Last month the extent of Arctic sea-ice was the lowest ever recorded for a January (during the satellite era), with temperatures several degrees above the long-term average.
