On January 4, the ice-breaking research vessel “Zhongshan Daxue Jidi” departed from Nansha, Guangzhou and went to the ice area of the Bohai Sea to carry out a major scientific research on the key processes of the ice-sea system and its ecological and environmental effects in the Bohai Sea in winter.
The team will set up two longitudinal sections and two observation transects in Liaodong Bay and the central sea area of the Bohai Sea, focusing on the study of the formation and disappearance of sea ice in the Bohai Sea, the thermal and dynamic effects of the atmosphere and the ocean on the Bohai Sea ice formation and disappearance process, the mechanism of the Bohai Sea ice formation and disappearance process on the aquatic environment, and the construction of the Bohai Sea ice ecological dynamics model, to reveal the potential impact of sea ice on the seasonal changes of the Bohai Sea ecosystem.
“Zhongshan Daxue Jidi” is the first polar ice-breaking research vessel of a Chinese university, and the third ice-breaking research vessel after the “Xuelong” and “Xuelong 2”. The vessel has a displacement of 5,852 tons, is 78.95 meters long, 17.22 meters wide, and has a draft of 8.16 meters. Its designed icebreaking capacity is Canadian CAC4, equivalent to PC3, and it has the ability to conduct full-sea-depth polar research.
According to previous reports, in early 2023, the vessel was repaired and renovated by Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard Co., Ltd. (GWS), a subsidiary of Guangzhou Shipyard International under China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), after being out of service for nearly two years.
In April 2024, the vessel completed another renovation and upgrade of nearly RMB 100 million at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Zhoushan), the upgrades include: the addition of deck scientific research equipment, the addition of a small A-frame in order to cooperate with the seawater collector to carry out underwater operations; in addition, the steel cable of the geologic winch has been increased to more than 10,000 meters, which provides a strong support for the deep-sea submarine stowage and release operations; it also includes upgrades to the software, and the cockpit has been added with It also includes software upgrades, with the addition of ice area radar, C-band radar, and DP (Dynamic Positioning) system on the bridge to ensure accurate positioning during polar operations, making the vessel truly capable of scientific research.
From July 26 to October 7, 2024, the “Zhongshan Daxue Jidi” successfully completed the 2024 Arctic Ocean Scientific Expedition.