China’s icebreaker Xuelong-2 has returned to Haikou City in south China’s Hainan Province on May 28, marking the end of a groundbreaking 208-day journey covering over 40,000 nautical miles. The expedition, which is China’s 41st Antarctic mission, achieved multiple scientific breakthroughs and became the world’s first multinational joint expedition focusing on Antarctic autumn ecosystems.
A total of 91 researchers from China and eight other countries—including Australia, South Korea, the United States, Malaysia, Norway, Thailand, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—participated in the mission. Among them were 10 faculty members and students from the School of Oceanography at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
During a 20-day field survey from March 27 to April 15, the team conducted marine investigations at 24 sampling stations along four transects. Braving temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius, the researchers collected over 5,000 samples. These included water columns, membrane filtrates, sediment cores, biological specimens, and sea ice samples.
The expedition completed the world’s first systematic study of key Antarctic trophic levels during the critical autumn freeze-up period. This encompassed research on zooplankton, Antarctic krill, mesopelagic fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. The findings shed new light on how polar organisms adapt to the extreme low-light conditions of winter and how carbon is transported into the deep ocean during the ice formation season.
This mission represents a significant step forward in understanding the Antarctic ecosystem, offering valuable insights into global climate change and its impact on marine life. The collaborative nature of the expedition highlights the importance of international cooperation in addressing global scientific challenges.
