A Review of Chinese Arctic Research 1999–2026

The Importance of Arctic Exploration for China#

As the largest developing country in the Northern Hemisphere, China is most directly, rapidly, and profoundly affected by climate and environmental changes in the Arctic region.

Since China first organized an Arctic expedition in 1999, it has conducted three comprehensive expeditions to the Arctic Ocean region using the Xuelong scientific research vessel as a platform to study the relationship between Arctic sea ice, ocean and atmospheric changes and China’s climate and environment changes.

It has gained a preliminary understanding of the mechanisms of climate and environmental changes in the Arctic region and obtained a number of valuable scientific research data and samples.

This year, China successfully pioneered a new mobile ice diving model of “ship-diving collaboration” in dense ice areas, making China the only country in the world to conduct continuous manned deep-sea diving in the dense sea ice areas of the Arctic.

The Chinese scientific expedition team also successfully collected a number of precious water, sediment, rock and biological samples and obtained a large amount of observation data, which will provide important scientific support for in-depth research on the rapid changes in Arctic climate.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China previously stated that China is an important stakeholder in Arctic affairs and has always participated in Arctic affairs in accordance with the basic principles of respect, cooperation, win-win and sustainability, strengthening cooperation with all parties, maintaining Arctic peace and stability and promoting sustainable development in the Arctic.

Key Achievements over 26 Years#

The Chinese Arctic Scientific Expedition Team refers to the team of Chinese scientists conducting scientific research activities in the Arctic. Since China first organized an Arctic expedition in 1999, it has carried out comprehensive investigations into the relationship between climate and environmental changes in the Arctic region and climate and environmental changes in China.

From April to May 1995, the China Association for Science and Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized the Chinese Arctic Expedition Team.

Sponsored by the Nande Group, Wei Menghua, Li Shuanke and seven others flew to the vicinity of 88° north latitude north of Canada. They then hiked, skied, or sledded to the North Pole, conducting atmospheric and ice and snow surveys along the way. At 10:55 a.m. on May 6, they completed the first North Pole expedition organized by the Chinese themselves and sponsored by an enterprise.

From July 1 to September 9, 1999, China’s first Arctic scientific expedition lasted 71 days and covered a total distance of 14,180 nautical miles. It completed all the planned scientific research tasks and obtained a large number of valuable samples and data, including sediments at a depth of 3,000 meters in the Arctic Ocean and atmospheric detection resources and samples at a height of 3,100 meters, comprehensive hydrological data at a maximum water depth of 3,950 meters, a 5.19-meter-long sediment core, and a large number of ice cores, surface snow samples, plankton, and seawater samples.

In 2002, at 11:11 p.m. local time on July 29 in Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard, Norway, a 32-member scientific expedition team, organized by the China Scientific Expedition Association, sponsored by relevant enterprises, and composed of experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and journalists, held a flag-raising ceremony to announce the establishment of China’s first Arctic scientific research station, laying the foundation for the establishment of the Yellow River Station by the Chinese government in 2004.

On July 25, 2022, a commemorative event was held to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the station, commemorating the contributions of six pioneering scientists: Liu Dongsheng, Wang Fuzhou, Yang Yichou, Wu Sugong, Gao Yongqi, and Lu Longhua.

The Longest and Largest Expedition#

China’s Fourth Arctic Scientific Expedition departed on July 1, 2010, to carry out scientific research in the Arctic Ocean region. This Arctic expedition was the fourth such expedition conducted by China, following the three previous expeditions in 1999, 2003, and 2008. It was also the longest and largest expedition in terms of both duration and number of participants.

The expedition team consisted of researchers, logistics personnel, media reporters, and crew members from more than 20 institutions. Seven scientists from the United States, France, Finland, Estonia, and South Korea were also invited to participate, bringing the total number of participants to 122.

The fourth Chinese Arctic scientific expedition team successfully completed its scientific research mission and returned triumphantly on the morning of September 20, 2010, aboard the polar research vessel Xuelong, successfully returning to the domestic base of China’s polar research in Pudong, Shanghai. The State Oceanic Administration and the Shanghai Municipal Government held a warm welcome ceremony.

The fourth Chinese Arctic scientific expedition lasted 82 days, the longest of any Chinese Arctic expedition to date. The Xuelong polar research vessel sailed over 12,000 nautical miles, reaching a northernmost point of 88 degrees 26 minutes north latitude, setting a new record in Chinese maritime history.

China’s fourth Arctic scientific expedition focused on two major scientific objectives: rapid changes in Arctic sea ice and the response of the Arctic marine ecosystem to these changes. It completed comprehensive surveys at 135 marine stations, a comprehensive sea ice and atmosphere survey at one “long-term ice station,” surveys at eight “short-term ice stations,” and observations at one North Pole station. The expedition covered the Bering Sea, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi Sea, the Canada Basin, the Mendeleev Ridge, the Fletcher Deep Plain, and the North Pole, spanning 2,300 nautical miles north to south and 1,100 nautical miles east to west. The breadth of its scope, the comprehensiveness of its content, the quantity of data and samples obtained, and the high latitude reached all set new records for China’s Arctic scientific expeditions.

Study of Anthropogenic Pollution in the Arctic#

On August 24, 2012, scientists participating in China’s fifth Arctic scientific expedition stated that the latest research revealed the first appearance of some novel brominated flame retardants, perfluoroalkyl compounds, and other toxic and harmful substances in the high-latitude Arctic waters.

These new persistent hazardous pollutants are characterized by teratogenicity, carcinogenicity, and endocrine disruption in organisms and humans. Their impact on the Arctic environment and ecosystem should be given more attention.

It is reported that since China began Arctic scientific expeditions, especially after the third and fourth Arctic scientific expeditions in 2008 and 2010, scientists have obtained a large number of important samples in multiple disciplines such as marine atmospheric chemistry. Through subsequent sample processing and data analysis, preliminary conclusions have been drawn that the overall pollution level in the Arctic region is showing a downward trend.

Deep-Sea Arctic Exploration#

On September 10, 2014, the Xuelong icebreaker successfully completed its Arctic Ocean scientific expedition mission with the completion of the R1 section hydrological station operation. The Xuelong sailed out of the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees 33 minutes north latitude and set sail for home.

During the Arctic Ocean scientific expedition, the highest position drifted by the Xuelong was approximately 81 degrees 11 minutes 50 seconds north latitude and 156 degrees 30 minutes 52 seconds west longitude, which is also the northernmost geographical location reached during this expedition.

During this scientific expedition in the Arctic Ocean region, a total of 53 comprehensive research stations, 7 short-term ice stations, 1 long-term ice station, and geophysical research operations were completed.

Pan Zengdi, chief scientist of the expedition team, said that many of the scientific research tasks in the Arctic Ocean region were completed beyond expectations, and there were many highlights.

When operating in the Canada Basin, the expedition team successfully deployed a set of sediment trap mooring buoys at a depth of about 3,900 meters. This is the second successful deployment of sediment traps in this region since the third Arctic expedition.

Geophysical research is an important part of the Arctic Ocean scientific expedition. The expedition team flew “kites” on the seabed of the Arctic Ocean and carried out China’s first near-seabed magnetic measurement in the Canada Basin in the Arctic Ocean region.

During the Arctic Ocean expedition, with the support of its own dolphin helicopter, the expedition team completed the first deployment of sea ice buoy (sea ice temperature chain buoys and sea ice drift buoys) array in China, deploying a total of 4 sets.

The deployment of the buoy array is generally based on the location where the Xuelong icebreaker is moored, with equidistant quadrilaterals deployed on floating ice in different directions. At the same time, ice buoys are deployed on ice stations to form an ice drift buoy array.

Establishing an ice drift buoy array is one of the important means to understand the sea ice deformation process in more detail and comprehensively, and to study the characteristics and laws of Arctic sea ice changes. It can change the past situation where China deployed single, scattered ice buoys in the Arctic region to observe the drift trajectory of individual sea ice.

On September 10, 2014, the sixth Chinese Arctic scientific expedition completed its Arctic Ocean scientific expedition mission.

The First Circumnavigation of the Arctic Ocean#

On September 23, 2017, after completing its last station operation in the Chukchi Sea, the eighth Chinese Arctic scientific expedition team entered the Bering Sea through the Bering Strait, successfully completing its first circumnavigation of the Arctic Ocean.

During this circumnavigation of the Arctic Ocean, the Chinese expedition team not only conducted a full-course scientific survey along the central shipping route for the first time in the high seas of the Arctic Ocean, but also carried out systematic operational surveys in the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Nordic Seas, and filled the gaps in China’s surveys in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay.

During this expedition, the expedition team members carried out operations at 7 sea ice stations and 49 marine stations, and conducted multidisciplinary comprehensive surveys focusing on elements such as the basic marine environment, sea ice, biodiversity, and marine plastic waste.

The expedition team collected a wealth of ice cores, rock cores, and biological samples, and obtained a large amount of atmospheric, sea ice, and marine observation data and imagery, which promoted the construction of China’s Arctic operational survey system and accumulated valuable first-hand data for the systematic analysis and evaluation of Arctic shipping routes and the ecological environment.

On September 23, 2017, the eighth Chinese Arctic scientific expedition completed its first circumnavigation of the Arctic Ocean.

Conducting Multidisciplinary Comprehensive Research in the Arctic#

On July 20, 2018, the ninth Chinese Arctic scientific expedition was launched, lasting 69 days.

The expedition mainly carried out research operations in the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, Northwest Pacific Ocean, Mid-Ocean Ridge and Central Arctic Ocean. The expedition also planned to conduct multidisciplinary comprehensive research on marine meteorology, hydrology, acoustics, chemistry, biology, fisheries, geology and geophysics.

At around 6:00 on August 11, 2018, 29 expedition members arrived at the work area aboard the Yellow River boat carried by the Xuelong polar research vessel. This short-term ice station was a multidisciplinary joint operation. The team members successfully carried out a number of scientific research operations in about 6 hours, including the deployment of sea ice mass balance buoys, the collection of sea ice physical ice cores, the deployment of sea ice temperature chain buoys, optical observation, and the collection of biological and chemical ice and snow samples.

On August 25, 2018, the Ninth Arctic Scientific Expedition organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources of China completed its ninth short-term ice station operation in the Arctic Ocean at 84°24′N, 156°06′W. With this, all ice station operations of this Arctic expedition were completed.

On September 26, 2018, the Ninth Arctic Scientific Expedition of China returned to Shanghai after completing its expedition, which lasted 69 days. It conducted surveys of 88 marine integrated stations and 10 ice stations. The number of ice stations, ice-based buoys and anchor observation platforms deployed were the highest in all previous Arctic expeditions. For the first time, it successfully deployed unmanned observation equipment such as the “unmanned ice station” independently developed by China.

On July 15, 2020, the Eleventh Arctic Scientific Expedition of China, organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, departed from Shanghai aboard the Xuelong 2 polar scientific research vessel to carry out scientific research tasks. This marks the first Arctic scientific expedition undertaken by the icebreaker Xuelong 2 after its successful maiden voyage to Antarctica.

Exploring Global Climate Change#

China’s 11th Arctic scientific expedition focused on addressing global climate change, comprehensive Arctic environmental surveys, and the construction of an operational Arctic observation and monitoring system.

In the Chukchi Plateau, the Canada Basin, and the central Arctic Ocean, the expedition utilized methods such as underway observations, transect surveys, and ice station investigations to conduct key surveys including comprehensive surveys of the central Arctic Ocean, Arctic biodiversity and ecosystem surveys, Arctic ocean acidification monitoring and chemical environment surveys, emerging pollutant monitoring, and Arctic sea-ice-atmosphere interaction observations.

This expedition further enhanced China’s understanding of Arctic climate change, and provided data on Arctic marine hydrology and meteorology, ocean and atmospheric chemistry, marine biology and ecology, and marine geology and geophysics. This laid a solid foundation for cutting-edge scientific research in the context of rapid Arctic sea ice change, comprehensive assessment of the Arctic environment and climate, and comprehensive environmental assessment of the central Arctic Ocean.

The Xuelong 2 icebreaker was scheduled to sail 12,000 nautical miles and returned to Shanghai in late September 2020.

In 2021, China’s 12th Arctic Scientific Expedition completed its expedition in 79 days.

On September 28, 2021, the 12th Chinese Arctic Scientific Expedition team returned successfully to the China Polar Research Domestic Base in Shanghai aboard the Xuelong 2 icebreaker. The 12th Chinese Arctic Scientific Expedition was successfully completed. This expedition was the first Arctic scientific expedition organized by China during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. The expedition team set sail from Shanghai on July 12 and sailed 14,000 nautical miles over 79 days.

Reaching the North Pole#

At around 10:00 on July 12, 2023, the icebreaker Xuelong 2 departed from Shanghai, marking the start of China’s 13th Arctic Ocean Scientific Expedition.

On July 20, it was reported that the Xuelong 2 had entered the Pacific Ocean. In July, the expedition team, aboard the icebreaker Xuelong 2, completed its first oceanographic research exercise in the high seas of the Bering Sea.

At 16:34 Beijing time on July 24, China’s 13th Arctic Ocean Scientific Expedition crossed the Arctic Circle and entered the Arctic Ocean.

On the afternoon of July 26, Beijing time, after 15 days at sea, China’s 13th Arctic Ocean Scientific Expedition arrived at its first operational site in the Chukchi Sea, officially commencing oceanographic research operations. The first station operation lasted about 5 hours and 30 minutes and ended at around 22:30 on the same day, basically covering most of the routine operation items of this Arctic Ocean scientific expedition. At 1:50 on August 2, Beijing time, with the completion of the marine optical survey at the 10th station on the midship deck of the Xuelong 2 polar research icebreaker, the first operation item of the 13th Chinese Arctic Ocean scientific expedition organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources was completed.

On August 12, the 13th Chinese Arctic Ocean scientific expedition team organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources sailed to the sea area near 81 degrees north latitude on the Xuelong 2 polar research icebreaker and officially began the comprehensive sea ice survey operation.

At 13:55 on September 5, the 13th Chinese Arctic Ocean scientific expedition team organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources arrived at the 90 degrees north latitude and North Pole area on the Xuelong 2 polar research icebreaker during the operation.

On September 27, the 13th Chinese Arctic Ocean Scientific Expedition, organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, returned to Shanghai aboard the icebreaker Xuelong 2, marking the successful completion of the 13th Chinese Arctic Ocean Scientific Expedition.

China’s Largest Arctic Scientific Expedition#

On September 26, 2025, the Xuelong 2, the icebreaker for the 15th Chinese Arctic Ocean Scientific Expedition organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, returned to Shanghai, marking the successful completion of the expedition.

This expedition was jointly conducted by the Xuelong 2, Polar, Shenhai Yihao, and Tansuo Sanhao, and was China’s largest Arctic Ocean scientific expedition, coordinating the implementation of relevant tasks under the National Key Research and Development Program.

With the support of the Xuelong 2, the Shenhai Yihao, carrying the Jiaolong, successfully achieved China’s first manned deep-sea dive in the Arctic ice zone, marking the continuous enhancement of China’s deep-sea access and exploration capabilities.

Recent Progress (2026)#

In 2026, China successfully pioneered a new mobile ice diving model of “ship-diving collaboration” in dense ice areas, making China the only country in the world to conduct continuous manned deep-sea diving in dense sea ice areas of the Arctic.

The expedition team successfully collected a batch of precious water, sediment, rock and biological samples and obtained a large amount of observation data, providing important scientific support for in-depth research on the rapid changes in Arctic climate.

On July 3, 2026, the 16th Chinese Arctic Ocean Expedition organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, consisting of the Xuelong and Xuelong 2 icebreakers and the Polar icebreaker from the North Sea Bureau, set sail from Dalian. This is the first Arctic Ocean expedition organized and implemented by China in the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

China’s Current Arctic Exploration Capabilities Are Limited#

In the 27 years since China began its polar scientific research, it has used three generations of research vessels, namely the Chinese Xiangyanghong 10, Polar icebreaker and Xuelong icebreaker.

The total time spent on oceanographic surveys in the Southern Ocean by China’s three generations of polar research vessels over the past 27 years is less than the survey time of a single American research vessel in one year.

The icebreaking capability of the Xuelong is insufficient and cannot meet the needs of Antarctic scientific research. In 1984, China’s first Antarctic expedition was conducted on the Xiangyanghong 10, an ordinary ship with a full-load displacement of 13,000 tons and no icebreaking capability.

In 1986, China began using the Polar scientific research vessel for Antarctic expeditions. This ship was originally a cargo ship with Class 1A ice resistance built by the Rauma shipyard in Finland. After being purchased by China, it was converted into an Antarctic scientific research vessel. After completing six Antarctic expeditions, it was decommissioned in 1994.

In 1993, China purchased the Xuelong polar scientific research vessel from Ukraine. The vessel is 167 meters long and has a full load displacement of 21,000 tons. It is equipped with modern navigation, positioning and navigation systems and has the ability to continuously break through 1.1 meters of ice (including 0.2 meters of snow) at a speed of 1.5 knots. It can carry 120 scientific research team members and mainly undertakes three major tasks: supplying and transporting materials to Antarctic research stations, rotating scientific research team members, and conducting surveys in the North and South Pacific Oceans.

According to the design plan, China’s newly built polar scientific research icebreaker will adopt the internationally advanced optimal ship type design, electric propulsion system, icebreaking level PC3 (that is, in the polar waters mixed with the following year’s sea ice with old ice, the ice thickness is not less than 1.5 meters of sea ice plus 0.2 meters of snow), continuous icebreaking speed of 2–3 knots; the overall dimensions of the ship are 100–120 meters long, 20–24 meters wide, with a maximum draft of 9 meters, a light load displacement of 8,000 tons, a range of 20,000 nautical miles, a crew of 90 people, and an endurance of 60 days, which can meet the requirements of navigation in the polar waters and green environmental protection.

It is reported that in terms of scientific research function design, the system, compatibility and flexibility will be fully considered, covering many specialties such as physical oceanography, marine chemistry, marine biology, marine geology, marine geophysics, and atmospheric science, while having a certain logistical supply capacity for research stations. It is necessary to further strengthen the research efforts in key areas of the Arctic Ocean.

China’s scientific research activities in the Arctic adhere to international law and the principles of scientific cooperation, maintaining and promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development in the Arctic. This expedition has further solidified the foundation for the development of China’s polar endeavors and contributed to maintaining and promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development in the Arctic.

Source: Baidu Baike (in Chinese)