On April 16, the "Snow Dragon" and "Snow Dragon 2" that carried out China's 40th Antarctic expedition all returned to their home port in Shanghai.
Flip through the voyage diaries, databases, and sample boxes to see what the expedition has brought back.
This is a new set of records in the history of Chinese Antarctic expeditions:
The first Antarctic expedition carried out by three ships, the "Snow Dragon", the "Snow Dragon 2" and the "Tianhui", lasted more than five months and covered a total distance of more than 81,000 nautical miles; the "Snow Dragon 2" crossed the "Roaring Westerly Wind Belt" eight times in history; the main building of the Qinling Station, the largest single building in China's Antarctic research station, was completed in 5,120 square meters; and the helicopter lifted up to 211 tons of materials in a single day......
On December 6, 2023, the "Snow Dragon 2" and "Tianhui" successfully passed through the complex ice area. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Yuan
The expedition, which was carried out on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of China's polar expedition, has yielded many results and many highlights.
- Look at the word "new": build a new station
On February 7, after 52 days of hard work, the Qinling Station, the fifth Antarctic research station on the mainland, was completed.
New research station, new in architectural design. The appearance is in the shape of a Southern Cross, the integrated design is unique, the modular installation is efficient and convenient, the modularization rate reaches 45%, and the proportion of new energy exceeds 60%. It can be said that Qinling Station has set a new benchmark for polar architecture.
The new research station is also new in scientific research value. The Ross Sea is considered to be the last pristine marine ecosystem on Earth and has historically been a popular area for Antarctic expeditions. The United States, New Zealand, Italy, South Korea and other countries have built websites here, which is enough to get a glimpse of its importance.
Looking forward to the future, the Qinling Station, which integrates new ideas and technologies, will provide basic support for the global assessment of the Antarctic ecological environment and climate change, and provide an important guarantee for understanding the natural characteristics of the Ross Sea region.
On January 6, China's 40th Antarctic Expedition successfully deployed deep-water ecological submersibles in the Amundsen Sea, which was also the first time that China has deployed ecological submersibles in the polar regions. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Yuan
——See multiple "firsts": explore "5 stations and 5 seas"
The expedition team composed of more than 460 people traveled all over the Great Wall Station, Zhongshan Station, Kunlun Station, Taishan Station, Qinling Station, the Astronaut Sea, the Amundsen Sea, the waters of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Pritz Bay and the Ross Sea.
Let's take a look at the "5 stations" first. The expedition team completed the summer survey of five research stations and achieved a number of important progress and results. Among them, the Kunlun station carried out near-infrared astronomical observation and full-time monitoring of the near-earth space environment for the first time, which provided a solid foundation for the year-round air-space observation.
Let's talk about the "5 seas". Some researchers have pointed out that we don't know much more about these seas than we do about the far side of the moon. The expedition conducted a series of research on cutting-edge scientific issues such as the impact and feedback of climate change on the Antarctic ecosystem. In particular, the first ecological submarine of the continent in the polar regions has been deployed, which will help to better analyze the status of major biological populations in Antarctica and the potential impact of climate change.
"The capacity of polar ecosystem assessment and three-dimensional monitoring of land, sea and air has been comprehensively improved. Zhang Beichen, the leader of the expedition team and chief scientist, summed it up.
——Look at the "country" name: apply multiple sets of domestic equipment
"Made in China" can often be seen on the ice and snow continent, especially this time.
In the hinterland, we will test and apply self-developed near-infrared telescopes, movable terahertz telescope systems, and unattended smart energy systems in Antarctica. In the ocean expedition, the main ecological sensor of the ecological potential is independent research and development. At the construction site of Qinling Station, domestic machinery and equipment accounted for more than 90%......
Visitors look at some of the samples taken by China's 40th Antarctic Expedition on April 10. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Yuan
——Look at the polar science popularization: 3 public open days will be held in a row
The research ship escorts scientific expeditions, and it is also a window for popularizing polar knowledge. On this voyage, the "Snow Dragon" and "Snow Dragon 2" held a total of three public open days. Among them, the "Snow Dragon 2" visited Hong Kong for the first time, and a series of scientific research exchanges and popular science lectures set off a "polar fever".
Just as Ma Fengguo, chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the "Snow Dragon 2" visit to Hong Kong, said, the unfamiliar "Snow Dragon 2" and "polar scientific expedition" have become familiar words to Hong Kong citizens, and in particular, they have stimulated young people's interest and enthusiasm for polar scientific research.
Antarctica is thousands of miles away, and the results of the expedition are not far from us.
For example, Antarctic krill, which is of great concern. It is the largest potential fishery resource in the Southern Ocean, and its protein content is much higher than that of beef and fish in general, and is currently mainly made into concentrate feed and shrimp oil. A series of krill surveys to better understand and develop krill resources.
Another example is that one of the hazards of microplastics in the ocean is that they enter marine organisms through the food chain, and if humans eat these organisms, their health will be threatened. One of the expedition's operational survey projects in the Southern Ocean is to analyze the content of microplastics in the ocean.
In addition, meteorological support personnel record meteorological data regularly every day, which can effectively enrich the numerical model and improve the accuracy of weather forecasting......
More than 81,000 nautical miles, equivalent to about four times around the earth's equator, more treasures in the cabin and storage tray of the "Snow Dragon Brothers" will be revealed to us in the future.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Reporter: Wang Libin, Zhou Yuan