Recently, the 40th Chinese Antarctic Scientific Expedition team successfully completed their mission and returned home, with the "Xuelong 2" and "Xuelong" ships docking respectively in Hong Kong and Qingdao, open to the public. Earlier this year, doctoral students Wu Xudong and Liu Hongwei from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at the University of Science and Technology of China and the Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change respectively, participated in the 40th Chinese Antarctic Great Wall Station expedition and the 7th China-Chile Joint Antarctic Expedition. They have now shared their perspective on the "great beauty of Antarctica."
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Golden penguins. Photo provided by interviewees.
Countless "scientific treasures"
At the end of the world, glaciers, snow-capped mountains, whales, penguins... The Antarctic scenery, previously only heard from senior colleagues in the laboratory, is now almost within reach for expedition members Wu Xudong and Liu Hongwei, as each frame is imprinted in their minds. For Wu Xudong and Liu Hongwei, behind the wonders and fascinations of the polar world lies a myriad of "scientific treasures".
In this Antarctic expedition, two members from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) split into two groups to carry out fieldwork for the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Key Program "Holocene fluctuations of Antarctic penguin populations and their response to habitat changes and atmospheric-oceanic variability" under the supervision of their advisor, Professor Xie Zhouqing from USTC.
Wu Xudong, as a member of the 40th Chinese Antarctic Expedition Team stationed at the Great Wall Station, conducted sampling work for atmospheric, seawater, and biological fecal sediment columns.
"During this expedition, my main focus was on studying the ecological impact of historical climate changes on penguin populations," Wu Xudong explained. "If we want to understand the changes in population numbers of penguin habitats, relying solely on observations from the past few decades is insufficient. We need to understand how their population dynamics have been over the past few thousand years, as well as how penguins or seals have responded to climate and environmental changes in historical periods. Understanding the past to understand the present, and predicting the future based on the past."
Wu Xudong noted that the gentoo penguin is currently the most abundant species on Ardley Island, with approximately 5000 pairs. Other species such as the Adélie penguin are very few in number, about 300 pairs. However, 20 years ago, Adélie penguins were the most numerous on Ardley Island. This is because the recent rapid warming of the Antarctic Peninsula has caused Adélie penguins to migrate further south towards the Antarctic Peninsula, while the gentoo penguins, which are more adaptable to warmer climates, can rapidly breed here. It is evident that with climate change, there have been significant changes in penguin populations and their succession.
"Liu Hongwei and I complemented each other in our exploration and sampling in Antarctica," revealed Liu Hongwei, as a member of the 7th China-Chile Joint Antarctic Expedition Team, he conducted sampling work aboard the Chilean research vessel Betanzos in the vicinity of the Antarctic Peninsula. "On board, we collected samples of atmospheric particulate matter and seawater along the way. Then, we landed at about 19 survey points using rubber boats to collect sediment column samples."
This Antarctic journey marks the 19th participation of USTC in Antarctic scientific expeditions. Since Professor Sun Liguan, the first director of the Polar Environment Research Office, and Dr. Xie Zhouqing from USTC first set foot on Antarctica in 1998, USTC has been engaged in continuous and systematic Antarctic scientific research activities, publishing several influential papers in renowned academic journals such as "Nature" and achieving remarkable results in the field of eco-geology research.
The Collins Ice Cap. Image provided by the interviewee.
Exploration Full of Uncertainty
Antarctica, often referred to as the "end of the world." "Most of the time, Antarctica is shrouded in foggy overcast skies, not as cold as expected, but the winds are really strong," experienced by Wu Xudong and Liu Hongwei. Every day when they go out for sampling, they must wear specially designed warm clothing and protective goggles.
Under the fierce winds, the sea conditions also become harsh, adding a lot of uncertainty to the sampling work. For Liu Hongwei, who works on board, when encountering bad sea conditions, previously planned survey points have to be abandoned. He vaguely remembers the urgent urging of the captain during sampling due to excessive wind, "Hurry up! Hurry up!"
"If the working time is shortest, there may only be two hours on an island," Liu Hongwei said. Within two hours, he needs to immediately find suitable sampling points upon landing on the island and collect sediment columns using PVC pipes.
The uncertainty of sampling also comes from the unfamiliar environment. "We haven't been to the area south of the Great Wall Station before, and this time we went as far south as near 65 degrees south latitude," Liu Hongwei explained. "Sometimes we need to visit five or six survey points in a day, time is tight, and the time spent at a survey point can be very short. Some survey points have no relevant literature or materials to predict the situation in advance, and only after arriving on site do we find that there are no penguins. All of these pose challenges to the sampling work."
In addition to extreme weather, the dangers of Antarctica sometimes lurk beneath the surface of the sea like icebergs. "The areas we sampled are relatively safe, but in the forbidden ice cap area, it may seem like there is pure white snow on the surface, but in fact, one misstep could lead to falling into a crevasse," Wu Xudong said. "The research station has very strict safety requirements. Before going out into the wilderness, we must submit a written application to the station leader the day before, and only after obtaining approval can we go out. We must carry walkie-talkies when going out, and if there are more than three people, satellite phones must be carried, and it is absolutely forbidden for one person to go out alone."
The Wilderness is a New "University"
Reflecting on Antarctic scientific expeditions, Wu Xudong's eyes sparkle. "The wilderness is like a whole new university," he excitedly expressed. Every aspect of the Antarctic wilderness contains rich scientific knowledge.
In Antarctica, you often hear sounds like thunder rumbling in the distance. Coupled with the foggy gray sky and the layers of blue glaciers reflected on the sea surface, many people describe such sights and feelings as "dreamy" and "like a model." But in the eyes of expedition members, the thunderous sound is actually the sound of "ice cap collapse," a natural process of Antarctic ice floe formation. The layers of glaciers are not rough; on the contrary, "they have vibrant vitality."
"When riding in a rubber boat into the wilderness, I can observe the details and textures of the glaciers up close, including many little penguins on the ice cap," Wu Xudong explained. "In fact, during the drifting of the ice cap, a lot of fresh water is released along with the melting process, attracting krill to gather, which in turn attracts penguins to feed on krill. This is the vitality brought by glaciers."
On the day of leaving Antarctica, the sky was ablaze with rosy clouds. "That was a special gift from Antarctica before I left," Wu Xudong said. "Antarctica, for me, is a place with very beautiful scenery, but also a place where I have to persevere despite exhaustion. It has cute little animals, countless scientific treasures; it has the most sincere friends, and also the vast silence."
When asked about the opportunity to go to Antarctica again, Wu Xudong and Liu Hongwei said, "If we could go to Antarctica again, we hope to bring more portable instruments and some large instruments to help us obtain more abundant and valuable on-site data."
