BEIJING: China’s 13th Arctic Ocean scientific expedition team accomplished the marine optical survey on Wednesday, marking the first fully completed operation project during the voyage.
The team, onboard the country’s Xuelong-2 polar icebreaker, is currently conducting research at the Chukchi Sea after their arrival on July 26.
As part of ocean scientific research, the marine optical survey is to measure the absorption and attenuation process of solar radiation energy in the ocean by detecting solar irradiance at different depths of the ocean with professional equipment.
The survey helps answer questions such as how the sun’s energy enters the ocean, how it is absorbed and where it is ultimately consumed, said Zhong Wenli, associate professor at the Ocean University of China.
“Studies have shown that the surface temperature of the Chukchi Sea has shown an obvious rising trend in the past 20 to 30 years, which is closely related to the ocean’s absorption of more solar short-wave radiation energy,” said Zhong.
“The sea surface warming has an important role in accelerating the melting of Arctic sea ice,” Zhong added.
The expedition, organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, is intended to investigate into the geology and geophysics of the mid-ocean ridge, as well as atmospheric, sea ice, marine and subsurface environmental surveys, and surveys of biomes and pollutants. –The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
