This plenary session provides an overarching understanding of the physical, biological, and paleocenographical setting in the pan-Arctic and serves as an introduction to the afternoon session on physical drivers (session A), the living ocean (session B), and the environment of the past (session C).

The plenary will consist of 2 keynote talks (30 min each), 3 plenary talks (15 min each), 1 talk with a special focus on link between science and application (15 min). It is concluded by a panel discussion and sneak-peak of the posters of the day.

(A detailed program for this plenary session is currently developed.)