China's icebreaker Xuelong-2 has wrapped up a groundbreaking 208-day expedition, sailing 40,000 nautical miles to unlock secrets of Antarctic autumn ecosystems. This historic voyage concluded on May 28 in Haikou City, south China's Hainan Province, and marked the world's first multinational joint expedition focused on this unique seasonal period.
Over 91 experts from China, Australia, South Korea, the United States, Malaysia, Norway, Thailand, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—along with dedicated faculty and students from the School of Oceanography at Shanghai Jiao Tong University—joined forces to tackle extreme conditions (around -20°C!) during a 20-day on-field survey. They conducted marine investigations at 24 sampling stations along four transects, gathering over 5,000 samples ranging from water columns to sea ice. 🌊
The mission achieved a world first by systematically studying key Antarctic trophic levels, such as zooplankton, Antarctic krill, mesopelagic fish, seabirds, and marine mammals, during the critical autumn freeze-up period. These insights offer a fresh look at how polar organisms adapt to extreme low-light conditions and how carbon is transported deep into the ocean during ice formation. Talk about cool science breakthroughs! 💡
Reference(s):
A world 1st: Xuelong-2 wraps up Antarctic autumn ecosystem mission
cgtn.com
