Read NASA solicitation NRA-03-OES-03

The following excerpt from the proposal explains its connection to SEARCH.

How well can long-term climate trends be assessed or predicted?
The polar regions, particularly the Arctic, are especially sensitive to changes in climate, and models consistently predict future warming to be much more significant in these regions than in their mid-latitude and equatorial counterparts.  This sensitivity arises primarily from the positive albedo feedbacks associated with melting of the snow and ice that blankets most of the region, and the insulating effects of sea ice which modulate the exchange of energy, moisture, and momentum between the ocean and the atmosphere.  Moreover, the formation and disappearance of sea ice cover play an important role in ocean circulation, particularly the Atlantic thermohaline circulation in the northern hemisphere and the formation of Antarctic bottom water in the southern hemisphere.  Additional factors that influence ocean circulation in polar regions are high latitude precipitation and freshwater discharge from melting snow and ice.  Investigations are encouraged that will help improve our knowledge of the feedback processes involving changes in polar regions.  Particular areas of interest are:  1) advancing our understanding of the coupling between ice at the Earth's surface and the terrestrial and solar radiation that helps determine the Earth's climate, 2) improving the representation of high-latitude processes in climate models, and 3) reducing uncertainty in predictions of how climate changes in polar regions will influence ocean circulation.  Investigations selected that support NASA's role in investigating Arctic feedbacks will also represent a contribution to the interagency initiative, SEARCH (Study of Environmental ARctic CHange).