Chinese scientists for the first time conducted a manned deep -sea dive in the ice of the Arctic ice with the modernized underwater apparatus of Jiiolun. The mission took place as part of the 15th Arctic expedition of the country and became the largest in scale and depth in the history of Chinese studies of the Arctic Ocean, the agency reports Sinhua.

Joint work of a manned and remotely controlled apparatus

The expedition was noted not only by manned immersion, but also by unique coordination with a remotely controlled underwater apparatus. According to Fu Wantao, the chief pilot “Jiiolun”,

“We first conducted coordinated immersion in the Arctic, working out underwater communications, accuracy of positioning and synchronization of movement.”

This practice allows scientists to perform complex tasks at great depths and prepare for future missions, where several devices will work together.

Collection of samples and research tasks

During diving, scientists have collected hundreds of samples: marine organisms, including shrimp, sea spiders and anemon, as well as sedimentary and rocks. These samples will more accurately study the marine ecosystem, biodiversity, chemical composition of water and the state of sea ice.

“Samples obtained with the help of Jiagoon are much better than those that collected traditional trawling. This is especially important for the morphological identification of species and studying climate changes, ”the researchers of the National Deep -Woodle Center in Qindao notes.

For analysis, scientists used artificial intelligence tools and methods of detecting DNA of the environment. AI helps to quickly identify species, and DNA methods allow you to detect microorganisms invisible to the naked eye.

Expedition scale and route

The fleet of the expedition included the icebreakers “Xuelun-2” and “Jidi”, the research vessels “Tansuo-3” and “Shenhai-1” with the Jiolun underwater apparatus. The expedition started from Tsindao, moving north to latitude 77.5 degrees. Researchers covered the central regions of the Arctic Ocean, conducting observations of marine ecosystems, ice and hydrology of the ocean.

At the end of the mission, 100 participants returned to Shanghai. Jiagon spent more than ten deep -sea dives, having worked out new methods of working with samples and joint coordination with robots.

The value of the mission for science and future research

“Successful coordination of a manned and remotely controlled apparatus is an important step to complex joint operations at great depths. The use of AI and DNA-analysis makes it possible to create complete databases on biodiversity, monitor the changes in the environment and predict the consequences of climatic changes, ”Fu Wantao emphasized

These data will become an important resource for the international scientific community and will help to understand how the ecosystems of the North Arctic Ocean react to global warming.

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