Five researchers with the Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping of Wuhan University pose for a group photo with colleagues. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Wuhan University gathered various media outlets on Monday to meet and interview five researchers who had just returned from a five-month expedition to Antarctica. The scientists shared their findings and memorable experiences.
The researchers were part of a team of 550 scientists who departed on Nov 1 last year for China's 42nd Antarctic expedition.
The five researchers are all with the university's Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping. They include the center's professor Pang Xiaoping, associate researcher fellow Zang Lin, and post-doctoral fellow Liu Mingliang, who worked at the Great Wall Station; research assistant Hu Changhong, who was posted at the Zhongshan Station; and research assistant Yu Liang, who was stationed at the Qinling Station.
The team carried out a range of scientific tasks during the expedition, including Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-controlled tide gauge maintenance, upgrades to Beidou satellite observation equipment, and environmental monitoring, according to the university.
Hu Changhong retrieves a protective tube during China's 42nd Antarctic expedition. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The researchers noted that they observed significant changes in the Antarctic ecosystem linked to human activity, providing a direct and tangible reference for global climate change studies.
Professor Pang said that their work would serve as an important reference for international polar governance decisions, while also promoting interdisciplinary research across science, engineering, and the humanities.
He added that these findings would be integrated into Wuhan University's curricula and talent cultivation system to give students multiple perspectives on the polar regions, including natural sciences, social sciences, and global governance.
Wuhan University's China Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping is among the earliest Chinese academic institutions to participate in polar research. It has dispatched nearly 200 researchers on expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic, according to the university.
Zang Lin conducts fieldwork during China's 42nd Antarctic expedition. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Liu Mingliang carries out leveling observations during China's 42nd Antarctic expedition. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
