Antarctic voyage ends with crucial findings

During the polar mission, crew members of the two vessels set up a clean energy microgrid, built intelligent management and communication systems, and completed the construction of a research observation building at Qinling Station, China's fifth scientific outpost in the Antarctic region.

They conducted China's first hotwater drilling at the Qilin Subglacial Lake in East Antarctica, setting a new world record for the deepest polar hot-water drilling.

Engineers on the team tested a domestically developed wheeled vehicle and a new inland cabin, filling gaps in rapid personnel transfer and emergency rescue while improving field support capabilities. They also deployed China's first domestically developed ocean-bottom seismometer array near the Antarctic Peninsula.

Cao Shunan, the expedition's assistant chief scientist, said the voyage focused on the impact of climate change on Southern Ocean ecosystems, and the team conducted comprehensive surveys that have further enhanced China's research capabilities in Antarctic marine ecological protection and climate change.

Cao said that the scientific results of the expedition will provide crucial support for a deeper understanding of the polar ecosystems.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn