BEIJING, Nov. 13 -- China's Antarctic expedition set sail yesterday on its 24th research trip to the southern polar region. This expedition coincides with the International Polar Year and it will launch China's action plan for world activity.

    China has already established two permanent stations in the Antarctic since its first expedition in November 1984. This trip will hopefully select a site and make preparations for the construction of the third station, the first of its kind in the inland Dome A area.

    Ice sheets create the highest icecap in Dome A, where climate conditions are so harsh it used to be considered a place beyond the reach of humans. So the exploration here will hopefully get ice samples and other data that will be helpful for breakthroughs in Antarctic research.

    As early as 1985, China's inland icecap expedition reached the Dome A area and did some explorations, becoming the first expedition of its kind in the history of Antarctic exploration. A station to be built here will certainly facilitate further explorations in this Antarctic icecap.

    The more we get to know about nature, the more we will be able to get along with it in a harmonious manner. Advanced as we human beings are in terms of science and technology, we still have many mysteries to unravel. This is where the significance of our scientific research mission in Antarctic lies.

    For example, the ecosystem in this polar region is quite sensitive to climate change and thus has become an ideal site to track, monitor and study the impact of regional and global climate change. The data collected will possibly help us further understand the relationship between human activities and global warming.

    In addition, Antarctic with its extreme climate conditions is a natural lab for our expedition team to collect data about its members' reactions both physically and psychologically to the extremely low temperatures, strong ultraviolet rays and lack of oxygen. The testing of robots working in such extreme conditions will also provide important data.

    The findings and data our Antarctic team obtains will not only further our understanding of nature, but also help our work and life in normal conditions.

    We sincerely wish them luck and hope they obtain as much as they expect in their explorations.

    (Source: China Daily)