The PAME program will focus on polar marine microorganisms and their activities; the processes that relate to these organisms and the significance of these organisms and their activity with respect to climate and global environmental change.

Microbial communities, including phytoplankton, protozoa, bacteria, archaea, fungi and virus, are by far the most abundant and the most taxonomic and genetically diverse group of organisms in marine pelagic ecosystems. Biological activity, biomass, production and remineralization in these systems are essentially microbial while higher trophic levels (crustaceans, fish, and mammals) play a minor role in quantitative terms.

Microorganisms are the main drivers of biogeochemical cycles and the major producers and consumers of green-house gases, and they are therefore significant players in regulating the ecosphere. In addition, they can be important sentinels of environmental change, as alterations in the structure and biomass of microbial communities can herald changes not only in pathways of nutrient and energy transfer in foodwebs, but also in biogeochemical cycles