(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-16 10:53

SHANGHAI -- China's Antarctic ice breaker, the Snow Dragon, arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday, completing the country's 24th 156-day expedition to the region.

Pupils welcome the expedition team upon their arrival in Shanghai, east China, April 15, 2008. [Xinhua]

Sun Bo, leader of the Chinese Antarctic icecap expedition team, told Xinhua in Shanghai that the 17-member expedition team was tasked with choosing a site for China's third Antarctic research station and carrying out a major exploration mission, the Panda plan.

The team fulfilled 46 scientific studies and 11 logistic programs and also successfully scaled Dome A, the continent's highest peak at 4,093 meters above sea level, for the second time in history on January 12, Sun said.

The researchers carried out scientific inspections on glaciers, geology, meteorological phenomenon and astronomy at the peak, which was significant to study the formation and evolution of the Antarctic icecap, Sun said.

"We have found an ice layer as thick as 3,132 meters at Dome A, which may help to extract the sample of the oldest ice core."

Sun said many countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany and France, have showed great interest in Dome A after China made it to the peak for the first time three years ago.

"Foreign expeditions may be able to scale the highest icecap in three to five years. But China enjoys advantages since we have obtained much experience and an abundance of scientific research achievements," Sun added.

China launched its first expedition to the Antarctic in 1984.