Teams of scientists are constantly on the move in the Arctic. But they rarely travel underwater. However, a group from China just managed to do exactly that, even setting a record.
Arctic: China Dives In
One of the main problems for research in the Arctic is the inaccessibility of many parts of the ice masses and areas that would otherwise be of great interest. Exploring the deep sea beneath icebergs is a difficult task that requires highly advanced instruments. A research team from China took this mission to the next level by using the Fendouzhe, a specially designed submarine, to carry out a manned expedition into the depths.
The scientists completed a total of 43 dives using the submarine, which was deployed from the specialized research vessel Tan Suo San Hao. Both the submarine and the vessel are operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China. The mission’s focus was to explore the deep sea and investigate the hidden resources that may lie beneath.
Additionally, the crew of a second submarine, the Jiaolong, was also ready to conduct diving operations, as the Chinese newspaper Global Times reports. The scientists encountered several organisms from which they took samples. Furthermore, they returned with small samples of sediment, rocks, and water from the deep. These include evidence suggesting the presence of oil and gas deposits that could potentially be extracted from the Arctic in the future.
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How Deep the Research Team Went
The Arctic consists of various zones, all subject to different conditions. The team from China conducted its dives in the central basin of the ice masses. The name can be misleading, as it is not a basin in the traditional sense but rather a geographical term. In this area, 80 percent of the surface is covered by ice. After a series of meticulous dives to greater depths, the submarines successfully reached a depth of 5,277 meters (17,300 feet) below the ocean’s surface.
This mission represents a small record, not only because of the depth reached by a manned expedition in the Arctic, but also because of the number of participating submarines. Since two submarines took part, the research group could guarantee a practically uninterrupted presence in the deep sea for several days. No other country worldwide currently possesses such capabilities.
Sources: Global Times
This article was originally published on futurezone.de / 4P.de and has been carefully translated.