China’s icebreaker Xuelong-2 has concluded a groundbreaking 208-day Antarctic expedition, marking the world’s first multinational effort to study the region’s autumn ecosystems. The mission, which covered 40,000 nautical miles and returned to Haikou City in Hainan Province on May 28, involved 91 researchers from nine countries and regions, including Australia, the Republic of Korea, the United States, and New Zealand.
Organized as part of China’s 41st Antarctic expedition, the project focused on understanding how polar organisms adapt to extreme winter conditions and the role of ice formation in carbon transport to the deep ocean. Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s School of Oceanography joined international teams in collecting over 5,000 samples—ranging from sediment cores to Antarctic krill—during a 20-day field survey in temperatures as low as -20°C.
The expedition achieved multiple scientific breakthroughs, including the first systematic analysis of key Antarctic trophic levels during the critical autumn freeze-up period. Findings are expected to enhance global understanding of climate resilience and marine biodiversity in one of Earth’s most fragile ecosystems.
