What is the difference between the 13th Arctic scientific expedition to the Arctic? Expedition Team | Science | Arctic Ocean

In the polar day of the Arctic, there are stunning mornings and dusk, mottled floating ice on the sea, and thick sea fog covering the quiet ocean. At this moment, China's 13th Arctic Scientific Expedition Team is aboard the "Xuelong 2" polar research icebreaker and is currently operating in the Chukotchi Sea of the Arctic Ocean, reaching around 77 degrees north latitude. The scientific expedition team officially set sail on July 12th, and CCTV reporter Wang Nan also set sail with the ship, recording the progress of China's Arctic expedition throughout the journey.

What are the current scientific research tasks in Chukchi Sea? What challenges do scientific examination team members face in 24-hour continuous scientific examinations? What are the difficulties in this year's scientific examination? What is the difference compared to previous years? What does Arctic sea ice taste like? What are the new experiences as we head towards the Arctic?

What are the key tasks of this Arctic scientific expedition?

The entire process of this scientific examination is about 80 days, and apart from the round-trip travel time, it is expected that there will be more than 40 days to carry out scientific research assignments. What are the key tasks of this Arctic scientific expedition?

CCTV reporter Wang Nan: This is the collaborative system for scientific research assignments on "Xuelong 2". It can not only display the situation of ice, but also display information such as temperature, longitude and latitude at that time, as well as the progress of scientific research assignments. At present, more than half of the scientific research tasks in the Chukotchi area of the Arctic Ocean have been completed.

What are the key tasks of this Arctic scientific expedition?

Wang Jinhui, leader of the 13th Arctic Scientific Expedition in China: Our Arctic scientific expedition focuses on the changes in the ecosystem under the rapid changes in the Arctic. There are four key tasks: first, the investigation of the ecological environment in the Pacific sector of the Central Arctic Ocean and the comprehensive investigation of sea ice. The second is the geological and geophysical investigation of the Jiake Ridge. The third is some scientific research plans, mainly focusing on research on circulation and sea ice. The fourth is international cooperation, including the investigation of microplastics in the Arctic between China and Thailand, as well as the geological and geophysical investigation of the mid ocean ridge between China and Russia.

Among these tasks, the investigation of the Jiake Ridge is the second time since the first scientific expedition in 2021. What is the Mid Galactic Ridge?

Wang Jinhui, leader of China's 13th Arctic Scientific Expedition Team: The Jiake Ridge is a new volcanic ridge, which is the slowest expanding mid ocean ridge in the world. It should be said that it is of great significance for us to study the expansion of global plates. Through our further investigation on this voyage, we can further reveal the structural changes and expansion process of the Jiake Ridge, and also provide us with a solid foundation for revealing the circulation mechanism of hydrothermal fluids in the ultra slow expanding mid ocean ridge.

What are the black technologies for studying aerosols in the Arctic Ocean?

Among all scientific research tasks, there are many assignments related to atmospheric science. In addition to releasing meteorological sounding balloons, research on aerosols in the atmosphere is also necessary. It is understood that China conducted a LiDAR observation experiment on aerosols in the Arctic Ocean in 2016. Why do we need to study aerosols in the Arctic? With the development of science and technology, what black technologies are there in this year's Arctic scientific expedition when carrying out such tasks?

Chinese 13th Arctic Scientific Expedition Team member Le Fange: This instrument is called aerosol scattering lidar, mainly used to observe the vertical distribution of aerosol concentration and related physical parameters from the near surface to 10000 meters in the high altitude. This is a real-time generated data graph. It is preliminarily speculated that this may be mainly due to the increase in PM10 aerosol concentration caused by a large amount of sea salt aerosols emitted from the ocean.

Le Fange, a member of the 13th Arctic Scientific Expedition Team in China: The Arctic Ocean is currently a hot area for research on ocean aerosols. Due to the unique hydrological environment, including changes in sea ice cover and density, as well as variations in unique plankton species and their abundance, these influencing factors may significantly affect the generation and emission of aerosols. However, the mechanisms and processes related to their effects are not yet clear. This is also an important reason why we conduct aerosol observations in the Arctic Ocean.

What challenges do scientific examination team members face in 24-hour continuous scientific examinations?

The natural conditions in the Arctic Ocean are harsh, the sea conditions are complex and variable, and outdoor temperatures are low. Many homework projects need to be carried out on the stern deck of scientific research ships. Under such homework conditions, what challenges do scientific research team members face?

On the one hand, the coldness is due to the fact that the operation project in the Chukchi Sea mainly focuses on water environment, biological ecology, and other aspects, and the large amount of floating ice on the sea surface has also brought considerable difficulties to the scientific research project.

"Xuelong 2" laboratory experimenter Liu Congshu: After we put down this net, if the ice moves, it is very likely to move and hook the steel cable of the winch, which may cause the equipment to be lost.

In Arctic scientific research, ice homework is essential, but frequent sea fog can bring another risk to team members, which is polar bears. In addition to installing safe houses and bear cages, the inspection team will also use various means.

Wang Jinhui, the leader of the 13th Arctic Scientific Expedition in China: Currently, we mainly observe the area of the operation from several aspects of the bridge to see if there are any bears through observation. If there are bears, ask the workers to quickly withdraw. In addition, when encountering low visibility and fog approaching, stop working immediately and withdraw. Thirdly, we will use drones and some infrared devices to detect the presence of bears, including helicopters that are also on standby.

Does Arctic sea ice have a taste? Is it the same as Antarctic sea ice?

The summer in the Arctic is the period of the least and thinnest sea ice of the year. Due to the influence of tides, strong winds, and surging waves, sea ice will continuously rupture, forming ice cracks. What does Arctic sea ice taste like? Is it the same as the sea ice in Antarctica? Let's listen to the introduction of the scientific expedition team members.

Chen Xiaodong, a member of China's 13th Arctic Scientific Expedition Team, said that the ice floating on the sea surface is generally more saline and salty in the Arctic.

This type of sea ice, with a general salinity ranging from 0.5 to 10 thousandths, is approximately one-fifth to one seventh of saltwater. In addition to the floating ice formed by direct freezing of seawater in the North and South Poles, there is also a familiar type called iceberg. So the formation of glaciers is formed by the accumulation of snow over the years, so glaciers themselves are salt free, and the icebergs they produce are also salt free, which is commonly known as freshwater ice.

The main geographical feature of the Arctic Ocean is the ocean, but Antarctica has a continent with many of these glaciers, which form a particularly large number of icebergs. Therefore, in Antarctica, the volume of icebergs is quite large. Due to the scarcity of icebergs, the proportion of freshwater ice in the Arctic is relatively small, which is why the ice in the Arctic is generally saltier and more saline than that in Antarctica.

Why do we have to go for scientific research so far from the polar region?

The endless blue ocean and continuous white sea ice, whether in the Arctic or Antarctic, are distant polar regions for humans. Not only is the climate harsh and complex, but it is also rarely visited by humans. So why do we have to travel thousands of miles, overcome all difficulties, and go to the Arctic for scientific research?

Wang Jinhui, leader of China's 13th Arctic Scientific Expedition Team: Polar regions, first of all, are the two major cold sources of our Earth, and for our atmospheric circulation, they are a driving force. It plays a very important role in the stability of our global climate system. In addition, the polar region is also a treasure trove for scientists studying plate movements, including climate change and space.

Moreover, the polar regions, oceans, outer space, and cyberspace are all regions of global development in Xinjiang, which are of great significance for sustainable development and human survival in the world.

Wang Jinhui, leader of China's 13th Arctic Scientific Expedition Team: Polar scientific exploration is an important field for humans to understand the mysteries of nature and explore new development spaces. China has conducted 39 Antarctic expeditions and 12 Arctic expeditions. It can be said that we have accumulated a large amount of data in polar cryology, oceanography, geology, bioecology, and climate meteorology. We have also achieved some important achievements and new scientific discoveries. Especially for the Arctic, we have made some progress in these aspects of climate change. Now, it should be said that the entire polar scientific research career is steadily improving.