Icebreaker to begin Antarctic mission
Print Edition
China's icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, will set sail from Shanghai tomorrow to conduct scientific research on Antarctica for about six months, the polar research institute said yesterday.
Xuelong will embark on China's 34th Antarctic expedition with 334 researchers on board.
It will travel about 36,000 miles and is scheduled to return in mid-April.
While conducting their routine scientific research, the expedition team will also undertake preparation work for the construction of China's fifth research station in Antarctica.
A 206-square-meter temporary base will be built at the site of the new research station. It will meet the highest international standards of environmental protection.
"Sewage treatment will be given to the wastewater and the solid waste will also be processed to ensure it has the least impact on the environment as possible," said Zhang Tijun, assistant leader of the expedition.
The temporary base will have an independent power supply and desalination facilities.
The new station will mainly conduct research in the South Pacific, while the Great Wall Station covers the Atlantic Ocean and the Zhongshan Station explores the Indian Ocean. The Kunlun and Taishan stations are based inland and conduct seasonal missions.
Sun Bo, deputy director of the polar research institute, said the new base was expected to be completed in 2022.
China's elite science ship Xiangyanghong 01 will participate in the new expedition but work in different areas with Xuelong. Xueying 601, China's first polar fixed-wing aircraft, will help to transport the expedition team to to Antarctica.
A monitoring network will be established to record environmental changes such as the interaction between the Sun and the Earth, interaction between sea ice and the ocean, and the atmospherical and marine environment.
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