China to build inland station in Antarctica

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-10-23 06:26

China's annual expedition to Antarctica has left Shanghai to begin its six-month mission. Scientists will build China's first inland expedition station in Antarctica.

This trip is making history a record number of 204 members and an ultimate mission of building the country's first inland expedition station.

China now has two stations in Antarctica, but the new one will be located in the Dome A zone, which is the highest inland point with an altitude of more than 3,500 meters. The region has an extremely poor climate, but is ideal for scientific study.

Ice in the Dome A zone is more than 3000 meters deep, which may have recorded meteorological changes during the past million years. Studying that record would be of high scientific value in the research of future climate changes on Earth.

Currently, six countries including the United States and Russia have built stations in the Dome A zone.

Besides building the new station, the Chinese team plans to conduct 45 other scientific studies, and renovate one of the current two stations.

The team is scheduled to return to Shanghai in April next year.