Polar icebreaker departs for China's 41st Antarctic research expedition

China News Service reports that the polar icebreaker Xue Long 2 recently departed Christchurch in New Zealand to conduct its first autumn voyage to Antarctica for this year, which is also China’s 41st overall Antarctic expedition.

Scientists from China and eight other countries including South Korea, Malaysia and the United States are embarked aboard Xue Long 2 as it heads for Antarctica's Ross Sea. The combined research team will study issues such as ecosystem processes and carbon sequestration in the Southern Ocean.

The scientists seek to determine how krill and other organisms survive in Antarctica even with limited food, prevailing sea ice, and periods with little to no sunlight.

Xue Long 2 will be operated in the Ross Sea for approximately one month as the scientific surveys are being conducted.

Owned by the Chinese Government and operated by the Polar Research Institute of China, Xue Long 2 is the first polar icebreaker to be built domestically in China.