China’s Antarctic Exploration:1984-2014

By+staff+reporter+XING+WEN

THE launch in 1984 of the Xiangyanghong No. 10 marked Chinas first Antarctic survey tour. As the ship was not able to break ice， it was a tough start to the countrys Antarctic explorations. But after 30 years of effort， Chinese scientists have successfully sailed from Shanghai to the Southern Hemisphere and beyond to the earths southernmost continent.

China has since witnessed great achievements in its scientific expeditions to the South Pole. At the time when its first research station， Great Wall， was erected on King George Island in February 1985， China was unable to build on the Antarctic continent. But by February 26， 1989， when Chinas second research station， Zhongshan， was built， China had advanced into the continent.

Chinas third station， Kunlun， was built in 2008 on a site about 4，087 meters above sea level and 7.3 km southwest of Dome A - an ice dome on the Antarctic Plateau notorious for its inaccessibility.

Over the past three decades， generations of Chinese scientists have taken up the challenge to explore this relatively unknown region. Their courage， wisdom and bravery have broadened humankinds understanding of the planet earth.

From the Polar Circle to Dome A

The Antarctic consists of the continent of Antarctica and its island territories， which cover an area of 14 million sq km. The average annual temperature there is around -25⁰C， the lowest temperature sometimes dipping below -90⁰C. The coldest， driest， windiest place on earth， the singularity of the Antarctics environment provides an ideal locale for studying global climate change. Better understanding of climate variability and the process of climate change in this region enables scientists to make more accurate forecasts of changes in the global climate.

China began drawing up its Antarctic strategy in the 1960s. Upon its estab- lishment in 1966， the State Oceanic Administration （SOA） received a mandate to “begin its work in Antarctica at the proper time.”

By the early 1980s， 16 countries had set up almost 40 year-round and 100 seasonal stations on the South Pole. China， however， was not among them.

In 1980， two Chinese scientists spent the summer research season at the Australian Antarctic Casey Station. This marked the first time Chinese experts had set foot in the region， and the start of Chinas polar activities. The countrys polar research has since shifted to the fast track of development.endprint

In June 1983， China became one of the signatories of the Antarctic Treaty， and the countrys first Antarctic expedition team set off from Shanghai in November 1984. Two ships， Chinas first 100，000-ton-class oceanographic research vessel the Xiangyanghong No. 10 and the salvage ship J121 that provided logistic support， carried 591 scientists， construction workers and crew members， along with 500 tons of construction materials to its southernmost destination. The team needed to sail the vast Pacific Ocean， so passing through 93 latitudes and 180 longitudes， within one month. The entire voyage exceeded 23，000 nautical miles.

The team arrived on King George Island， one of the South Shetland Islands in western Antarctica， in December 1984. Researchers and workers spent the next two months building the Great Wall Station – Chinas first Antarctic research station. The regions extreme climate exerted extraordinary physical and mental demands on construction workers. The Great Wall Station is on the Fildes Peninsula in western King George Island facing the Great Wall Bay， a small inlet of Maxwell Bay to the east. The location encompasses a broad bay area and deep sea， and the snow-covered mountains behind it provide a reliable water resource.

In October 1985， China became a consultative party to the Antarctic Treaty， which gave the country a say in decisions related to Antarctic matters. In June 1986， China became a formal member of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research （SCAR）.

Zhongshan， Chinas second research station， named after Dr. Sun Yat-sen（Sun Zhongshan）， known as the father of modern China， was completed in February 1989. The stations location on the southeast coast of Prydz Bay on the Larsemann Hills， hundreds of kilometers away from the Amery Ice Shelf and Prince Charles Mountains in the southwest， makes it ideal for projects concerning aeronomy and aurora research， and investigations into glaciology， geophysics， meteorology and mineral resources. Zhongshan Station also acts as a center for Chinas geological and inland ice sheet research as well as a base for collecting meteorite samples.

A research station is a support platform for scientific investigations and exploration. The number of stations built one after another in the region enables scientists to carry out extensive and indepth research on the South Pole.

China established its Polar Research Institute in Shanghai in October 1989. It provides an advanced platform for polar research and experiments and strong logistical support for Antarctic and Arctic expedition teams. The institute also administrates information relating to polar studies.endprint

A further step in Chinas foray into the Antarctica came in January 2009， with completion of the Kunlun Station on Antarcticas Dome A – Antarcticas highest elevation. Kunlun signifies Chinas advance towards the Antarctic inland. At present， the living and research sections of the Kunlun Station can accommodate 15 to 20 people conducting summer explorations.

Leap-frog Development

China was a latecomer to Antarctic research – nearly 100 years behind developed countries. In the past three decades， however， the nation has made substantial advances in research and exploration of the region. The support system for Chinas current Antarctic exploration consists of one icebreaker– the Xuelong， aka Snow Dragon – its three research stations， the Great Wall， Zhongshan and Kunlun， and one center– the Polar Research Institute of China. Its achievements have been acknowledged by counterparts around the world， and China is an active and extensive participant in international polar affairs.

According to Wei Wenliang， who led expedition teams to Antarctic on seven occasions， it took China less than 30 years to reach a level of polar studies that took developed countries at least 50 years to achieve. More than 2，000 Chinese scientists have been sent to the South Pole to undertake various types of research， some of them on winter explorations. They have conducted detailed studies in such fields as atmospheric sciences， space science， geological science， marine science， and satellite remote sensing technology. These investigations have entailed the collection of abundant specimen and observation data. Antarctic meteorite specimens， whose amplitude ranks third in the world next only to Japan and the U.S， are the most spectacular finding in the polar region. China has moreover made remarkable achievements in its research into aeronomy， Antarctica geology， and krill ecology.

The nation has also made rapid progress in improving its research facilities. Since 1984， five expedition ships – the Xiangyanghong No. 10， J121， Haiyang No. 4， Jidi， and Xuelong – have sailed to the South Pole. Among them， the Xuelong has been upgraded twice. It is now Chinas most advanced icebreaker. The ship is equipped with state-of-theart navigation， orientation and autopilot systems and advanced marine science laboratories. The Xuelong also owns a platform and hangar big enough for two helicopters. These high-end facilities significantly expand Chinas research and logistical support capacity during expeditions.endprint

Completion of the Kunlun Station signals Chinas further inland research. A fleet of snowmobiles that can travel through the ice and snowbound inner areas has consequently been assembled. Back in China， a domestic base for polar investigations and a specialized wharf for the Xuelong icebreaker have been set up in Shanghai. They constitute a sound foundation for Chinas polar explorations.

Today， the Great Wall station area has been expanded to 2.5 sq km， and includes 10 accommodation， scientific research， meteorology observation， electricity generation and storage buildings. The Great Wall and Zhongshan stations can accommodate 60 people for summer research and 20 for winter explorations. There are plans to upgrade and expand Kunlun to make it a permanent station that accommodates researchers during winter.

Advances in Antarctica

This frigid land is covered in ice and snow all year round. Even in summer the emerging bedrock zones， where scientific investigation activities are conducted， occupy no more than five percent of the area. There is therefore a world as yet unknown to humans deep in the inland， which is why China constantly extends its explorations. On December 18， 2013， a section of Chinas 30th Antarctic Scientific Expedition Team set out for the inner regions， its goal to establish the main structure of Taishan – Chinas fourth scientific research station.

Located on Princess Elizabeth Land in eastern Antarctic， 522 km from the Zhongshan Station， 715 km from the Kunlun Station， and 85 km from the Grove Mountains， Taishan is a seasonal station that can accommodate 20 scientists for summer research. The Kunlun Station can also use it as a relay station to provide logistical support for scientific investigations on cross-sections of ice sheets between the Zhongshan and Kunlun stations， according to leader of the 30th Antarctic expedition team Liu Shunlin. Taishan can also serve as a base for scientific research in the Grove Mountains – a newly discovered region rich in meteorites that offers precious resources for learning more about geography and glaciers. The building of Taishan will expand Chinas scope of South Pole exploration.

In 1984， Deng Xiaoping wrote the inscription for Chinas first Antarctic expedition team： “To make due contributions for peaceful use of the polar areas.” In the past 30 years， China has pursued this goal and advanced in the field of polar research. Chinese scientists have carried out detailed investigations and observations on their expeditions. Their achievements have helped people everywhere to understand the Antarctic， and also made great contributions to humankinds peaceful use of this land.endprint