China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 conducted investigations in the Cosmonaut Sea of the Southern Ocean on Tuesday, the same day when China's other icebreaker Xuelong also sailed for the Amundson Sea for research, meaning that for the first time ever, two Chinese research vessels are going to carry out research in the Antarctic region at the same time.
As part of China's 36th South Pole expedition, the investigations in the Amundson and Cosmonaut Seas will be focused on the subjects such as climate change, ocean ecology, etc in the South Pole, in in-depth exploration into the impact of the South Pole on global climate change, so as to further China's research on the South Pole.
After fulfilling research missions at the Zhongshan Station, Xuelong 2 sailed to the Cosmonaut Sea on December 3. So far, the Chinese researchers on the vessel have finished investigations in several sections and stations, carrying out scientific research in physical oceanology, ocean chemistry and ocean ecology.
Xuelong left Zhongshan Station for Hobart Port for replenishing supplies and rotation of personnel. It then headed towards the Amundsen Sea on December 24.
Xuelong 2 set sail in south China's Shenzhen City on October 15. A week later, "Xuelong" set sail from Shanghai. The two vessels met in the Hobart Port of Australia on November 7 and then crossed the Westerlies to the Southern Ocean separately. After that, they converged once again in the region of concentrated ice floes and reached the sea area around Zhongshan Station, which is the second Chinese research station in Antarctica and was opened in 1989.
Xuelong 2, which follows the naming of Xuelong, is China's first domestically built polar research vessel that entered service on July 11, 2019.
Xuelong 2 serves both as a supply vessel for China's research facilities in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and as a research vessel, with capabilities for geological and biological experimentation and surveying.
As a predecessor to Xuelong 2, Xuelong is also a Chinese icebreaking research vessel built in 1993 at Kherson Shipyard in Ukraine.
Source:cctvplus
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