In an attempt to further understand why Arctic sea ice is in decline, NASA teamed up with its partners to launch an airborne study with the objective to learn more about the chemistry of Arctic's lower atmosphere.

Dubbed as the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS), one of the major goals is to figure out how pollution affects climate warming and changes in that area.

ARCTAS is a full-blown operation spanning two phases by three NASA research aircraft capable of doubling as airborne laboratories. Starting now up to the next three weeks, the DC-8, P-3 and B-200 are going to investigate the springtime "arctic haze" and other parts of the Arctic atmosphere with tools for measuring air pollution gases, aerosols and solar radiation

NASA expects this study to help scientists fight the threat pollutants hold over the Arctic. Jim Crawford, manager of the Tropospheric Chemistry Program at NASA Headquarters Washington, shared his thoughts on the ARCTAS' launch:

It's important that we go to the Arctic to understand the atmospheric contribution to warming in a place that's rapidly changing. We are in a position to provide the most complete characterization to date for a region that is seldom observed but critical to understanding climate change.