The world's ocean basins are connected by the conceptual "conveyor belt" of currents that transport heat, salt, and biogeochemical properties between basins, across all latitudes and depths. The Arctic and the Southern Oceans are key regions in this system, due to their role in ventilating the deep oceans. In a time of global change, however, the polar oceans are especially sensitive to variations in climate, as shown by the record minima in Arctic summer sea ice extent and accompanying changes in physical and geochemical water properties that were observed during the IPY. To enhance the understanding of past, present, and future climate this session is devoted to identifying and explaining the main processes governing the ocean at high latitudes, both in terms of pure physical dynamics and of the (inter)acting geochemical processes.

To this end we welcome abstracts that can illuminate these processes with records of past change in the polar oceans, observations of current change, and predictions of future change.