Chinese research vessel begins 40-day scientific expedition in Western Pacific Ocean

Chinese research vessel Kexue is seen at a port in Qingdao, Shandong province, on July 4 before a 40-day scientific expedition in the Western Pacific Ocean. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Chinese research vessel Kexue, literally meaning "Science", departed from its home port in Qingdao West Coast New Area, Shandong province, on July 4, embarking on a 40-day scientific expedition in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Thirty-three researchers, as well as 57 crew members and technicians from over 10 domestic institutions aboard the vessel, will focus on two major scientific tasks. One is to investigate the variability of the Western Pacific current system and the warm pool and their roles in climate change. The other is to study the evolution of the Western Pacific's complex geology and geomorphology and their resource and environmental effects, according to the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the organizer of the expedition.

The expedition will also carry out multidisciplinary observations covering air-sea interactions, physical oceanography, marine ecology and biology, marine chemistry, and marine geology, the Qingdao-based institute said.

According to Wang Fan, the institute's director, an integrated observation system combining fixed buoys and subsurface moorings, underwater gliders, and vessel-based transect surveys has been deployed to address these major scientific questions.

Real-time data collected by the buoys and subsurface moorings, collectively named "Langya", will be integrated into the artificial intelligence-powered Ocean Large Model, enabling observations and model corrections to proceed simultaneously and improving the accuracy and reliability of intelligent deep-sea monitoring and forecasting, Wang added.

The latest expedition, the 15th in the series since its launch in 2010, builds on more than a decade of sustained scientific exploration. Long-term observations have enabled researchers to develop a theoretical framework for understanding the coupled processes in the Western Pacific, providing insights into global climate change and the deep ocean's resources and environment.