Over the weekend, China's polar icebreaker Xuelong set sail for Lyttelton Port in New Zealand after wrapping up its duties at Qinling Station. 🚢❄️
While docked at Qinling Station, the crew unloaded about 1,450 tonnes of equipment, supplies, fuel and building materials, then loaded roughly 500 tonnes of construction waste and old gear for removal. They also swapped out 38 scientists and technicians and brought 11 veterans back aboard.
Before heading south, Xuelong made a quick pit stop at Jang Bogo Station in South Korea to transfer 21 expedition members. These researchers will disembark in Lyttelton, where the next crew rotation takes place.
At Lyttelton Port, the ship will complete its resupply and take on 34 fresh faces before charting a course to the Amundsen Sea. There, Xuelong will dive into oceanographic surveys, aerial photography and deep-water mapping missions. 🌊📸
Organized by China's Ministry of Natural Resources, this 42nd Antarctic expedition is all about boosting Qinling Station's infrastructure, running wide-ranging scientific surveys (from climate modeling and marine biology to geology) and testing new domestic tech — think drones, remote sensors and eco-friendly systems. The insights will feed into global climate models, which are vital for coastal cities from Mumbai to Jakarta facing rising seas. 🌏🔬
Keep an eye on Xuelong as it powers ahead into Antarctica's icy frontier, gathering data that could reshape our understanding of the planet's most remote regions! 🧊🔬
Reference(s):
Chinese icebreaker heads to New Zealand for resupply, crew rotation
cgtn.com
