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| China launches 2nd North Pole expedition |
| CCTV.COM 2003-07-15 15:07:38 |
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China launches its second scientific expedition to the North Pole on Tuesday morning from Dalian, a port city in northeastern China's Liaoning Province. Over the coming months, scientists will make observations, conduct researches and prepare for China's first Arctic station, which is to be set up next September.
The ultra－modern icebreaker, "Snow Dragon", has had a 4－month thorough overhaul after its South Pole expedition and will now carry 115 scientists to the North Pole for a 74－day research expedition. Chinese scientists are joined this time by 16 experts from Canada, Finland, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US for their 14,000－sea－mile voyage to the Arctic.
The objective of this trip is to probe the Arctic regions' response to global climate changes and its impact in return on those changes. The expedition also aims to analyze Arctic influences on weather in the Chinese territories and provide materials for China's polar region research.
The research work, which will sample air, land and water conditions, will be made in the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea and the Canadian Basin. The mission will be highly dependent on the use of technology and the scientists sphere of operations will be extended by support from the helicopter and boats carried on the "Snow Dragon."
China expects to establish its first government research lab in the Arctic region and this expedition will contribute to setting up an essentially full－service monitoring system in that region. Scientists are expected to return to Shanghai on September 26 after wrapping up their mission.
The Snow Dragon, a former Ukrainian icebreaker, belongs to China's third generation of polar expedition icebreakers. It is equipped with advanced guidance systems, automatic steering and experimental systems, including a 200－square－meter lab and ocean research instruments. The 167－meter long expedition ship has stood up to the fierce tests of eight south pole expeditions during the past years having voyaged 200,000 nautical miles. It made its first Arctic journey in 1999.
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Editor: Xiao Wei CCTV.com
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