An Estonian yacht set sail for the Arctic on Tuesday to gather water samples that could help check a theory about the reasons for climate change, organisers said.

"In the Arctic, the climate is warming about twice as fast as anywhere else in the world. Scientists haven't really reached a consensus as to why that is: how much of it is due to human activity and how much can be attributed to natural causes," expedition organiser Tiit Pruuli told AFP.

"One theory is that huge amounts of the greenhouse gas methane escape from the seafloor. One of our tasks will be to take water samples... and when we return, scientists will measure the amount of methane," the journalist and businessman said.

The 24-metre (78-foot) ship, called Admiral Bellingshausen, has a crew of sailors, scientists and journalists who will spend four months at sea.

The yacht took off from the town of Sillamae on Estonia's northern coast on Tuesday. The crew hopes to sail to the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, the Norwegian volcanic island Jan Mayen, the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard and then as far north as the ice allows.

The crew may also change course and extend their journey -- perhaps all the way through the Northeast and Northwest Passage -- if certain coronavirus restrictions, including ones imposed by Canada, are lifted.

The pandemic restrictions also leave a question mark over whether Estonia's President Kersti Kaljulaid will be able to join the expedition at Svalbard as planned.

Research purposes aside, Pruuli also hopes that the civic initiative will help Estonia receive observer state status on the Arctic Council, which gathers countries bordering the region.

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