北極是地球的自轉軸在北半球與表面相交會的點。北極全被冰塊覆蓋並沒有陸地，但卻是許多野生動物如善知鳥、海豹和北極熊的棲息地。 北極不像一般的地方一天由日與夜組成，它的夏季長期掛著不落的太陽，而冬季則只有黑夜。北極最吸引遊客之處莫過於經常出現的自然現象 - 北極光。

北極冰塊平均厚2至3米，有時會有相當大的變化，偶爾浮冰的移動會把清澈的海水暴露出來。可是，近年的研究顯示，北極冰塊的厚度比過去幾年為薄，威脅著北極熊的存活。

野外長征2009將遠征北極，了解中國在北極圈的科研項目，深入探討北極氣候變化對中國氣候的影響、北冰洋獨特的生物資源和基因資源以及北極地質和地球物理，並察看極地的轉變如何影響我們的生活。

這是一個難能可貴的機會，一方面能探討保護北極的問題，也能認識氣候變化對北極的影響。請把握機會，與我們一起到北極探索。

The North Pole is defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface. As an area without land mass and is solely covered by ice, the arctic region is the habitat of a wide spectrum of wildlife like puffins, seals, polar bears and so on.

At the North Pole, the Sun is permanently above the horizon during the summer months and permanently below the horizon during the winter months. It differs from most of the areas that typically comprises of day and night. Natural phenomenon like twilight is one of the major attractions to the adventurers who travel to the arctic area.

The sea ice at the North Pole is around two or three meters thick, though there is considerable variation and occasionally the movement of floes exposes clear water. However studies have shown that the average ice thickness has decreased in recent years and has threatened the existence of the polar bear.

This year, Mighty Rovers will set off for North Pole to explore this spectacular yet vulnerable area and raise the public awareness towards polar conservation. It is an adventure that explores the environment and wildlife of North Pole, understands research programmes of Chinese scientists in the arctic region, and see how changes there may impact our lives.

This is undoubtedly an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn more about polar conservation and the severeness of climate change towards the polar area. So grab your chance and let us set off for North Pole!