43rd expedition marks Antarctic research push

China's 43rd Antarctic expedition team set off for the polar region on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

More than 600 researchers and engineers from over 100 domestic institutions are taking part in the expedition, which is being carried out aboard the Xuelong and Xuelong 2 research icebreakers and the oceanographic survey vessel Dayang, the ministry said in a news release. The team is expected to return to China in April 2027 after completing assigned tasks.

During the expedition, the team will wrap up on-site construction and quality inspections for China's new Antarctic facility, Qinling Station. It will also conduct the surveying and mapping of support facilities for a planned research station in Marie Byrd Land, and carry out preliminary preparations for the upgrading and renovation of the Great Wall and Zhongshan stations.

Researchers will study the impact of climate change on the Southern Ocean ecosystem and use anchored subsurface buoys, box corers, biological trawls and other equipment to examine physical oceanography, marine chemistry, marine biology, marine geology, atmospheric conditions and sea ice along their route.

The team will also conduct in situ sampling through the ice sheet covering Qilin Subglacial Lake and investigate frontier topics, including linked polar geological hazards, interactions between hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, and the mechanisms behind the cessation of plate subduction.

A range of domestically developed equipment, including the AR500 large unmanned helicopter, the THT550 high-horsepower tracked tractor and the third-generation Snow Leopard wheeled vehicle, will also be tested on the Antarctic ice sheet, the ministry said.

The Chinese expedition team will cooperate with researchers from Norway, Chile, Bulgaria and other countries on studies of the Antarctic ice sheet, geology and cryospheric environments, it added.

A send-off ceremony was held at Nanshan Port in Sanya, Hainan province, on Saturday before the Xuelong 2 set sail.

Pavel Talalay, a renowned expert on polar drilling and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said after the ceremony that he was "very impressed" by the Chinese government's attention to Antarctic research. He added that he has witnessed China's Antarctic research endeavor expand each year.

Contact the writers at zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn