Get your wetsuits ready, ocean heroes! 🌊❄️ China’s super-submersible Jiaolong has smashed through the ice with over 10 manned dives under the Arctic! Part of the epic Ocean Voyage 92 expedition, it is like exploring the Upside Down in Stranger Things, but 100% real—and it is unlocking the secrets of the deep like never before.
On July 15, the research vessel Shenhai Yihao set sail from Qingdao, in Shandong Province on the Chinese mainland’s Yellow Sea coast, carrying Jiaolong and a support crew. By September 8, following successful trials in the South China Sea, Jiaolong officially entered polar operations thanks to a localization upgrade—and it has been on a roll ever since.
With the icebreaker Xuelong 2 by its side, the team dove headfirst into subzero waters. Their toolkit: ROV surveys, water sampling with CTD profilers (hello, data nerds!), and, of course, the Jiaolong’s cameras capturing high-def images of the ocean floor. 📷🐠
Early AI analysis reveals some jaw-dropping finds:
- Spots where sea creatures thrive in super high numbers—and others where they’re sparse within just tens of kilometers. Geography and depth appear to play a big role.
- Remnants like pockmarks, dissolved holes, and banded shell fossils hint at ancient cold seep eruptions—clues to how methane once migrated beneath the ice.
Why does this matter? These discoveries feed into a biodiversity map of polar seas and guide future conservation work. 🌍💡 Plus, by understanding deep-sea life distribution and ecosystem adaptations, humans are one step closer to protecting our planet’s final frontier.
Stay tuned as Jiaolong continues its quest beneath the ice—because the Arctic still holds more mysteries waiting to be explored! 🚀
Reference(s):
China's Jiaolong completes over 10 manned deep dives in the Arctic
cgtn.com
