• How the relative strength of the two main pathways of the Atlantic Water inflow into the Arctic Ocean varies on different time scales?
• What are the atmospheric forcings and mechanisms responsible for the covariance of Atlantic Water transport in the Fram Strait and Barents Sea branches?
• How are the Atlantic Water properties modified when entering the Arctic Ocean along two different pathways and what are consequences of these modifications on a structure and distribution of water masses in the Eurasian Basin?
• What is the role of air-sea interactions in the Nordic Seas region in modification of the AW properties on the way into the Arctic Ocean?
• What is the fate of recent warm anomalies conveyed from the North Atlantic into the Arctic Ocean via both AW branches and how do they influence the Arctic Ocean heat budget?
• What is the impact of two different branches of the Atlantic inflow on the local ice coverage in Fram Strait and in the Barents Sea and what is their joint impact on sea ice conditions in the Eurasian Basin?
• What is the potential impact of varying AW inflow along different branches on the sea ice cover and climate changes in the European Arctic and their consequences for changing Arctic ecosystems?
• How does the recent warming of Atlantic Water influence the primary production in Fram Strait and in the Barents Sea? What is a role of local dynamics, in particular oceanic fronts and eddies in determining variability of primary production?
• How/if different are taxonomic composition and abundance of zooplankton in the Fram Strait and Barents Sea Branches of Atlantic water? How does the variability of AW advection relate to changes in zooplankton communities?
• What is the impact of varying AW flow into Arctic via the Fram Strait and Barents Sea branches on distribution, composition, abundance and the development of the key Calanus species in the Nordic Seas, in the frontal areas of co-occurrence of Atlantic and Arctic water masses?

New knowledge and new data sets gained during the PAVE project will be used to provide a synthesis of the key processes and feedbacks determining the oceanic heat input from the North Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean and its links to the changing atmosphere, cryosphere and biosphere in the polar region.