NEWS
2017-10-10
China’s ice breaker sets sail for Arctic rim expedition
The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong has completed its eighth Arctic expedition, since July till October 2017. The expedition focused on a series of frontier scientific research on marine biology, meteorology, geology and chemistry, such as ocean acidification and plastic pollution in the sea.
The vessel traveled through the central and northwest shipping lanes along the Arctic rim for the first time, completing China first circumnavigation of the top of the world. The vessel departed from the exploration base in Shanghai on July 20 with 96 crew members. It traveled 20000 nautical miles in 83 days, including 1995 nautical miles through ice formations, according to the institute.
Usually Arctic expeditions are carried out once every two years. Starting this year, China plan to increase the frequency of expeditions.
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members of the chinese scientific expedition team are welcomed upon their return in shanghai.png