In the summer of 2025, a polar research vessel carrying 38 faculty members and students from 13 universities and research institutes set sail from Guangzhou. After a 76-day voyage, it returned home laden with ice cores and other valuable research samples collected from the Arctic Ocean.The "Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di", China's first university-owned polar research vessel, after completing two expeditions to the Arctic Ocean, has now set its sights on even more distant seas.

On this voyage, the "Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di" covered a total distance of 11,852 nautical miles and reached 81.6°N, the central region of the Arctic Ocean. Aboard the vessel were unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), operating in coordination with satellites to form an integrated "air-space-ice-sea-subsea" observation network. Based on satellite remote sensing, the UAVs and UUVs enabled closer-range dynamic data collection, thereby facilitating more comprehensive intelligent route planning.

Preliminary field observations showed that under-ice submesoscale oceanic processes have intensified vertical material and energy exchanges, which, in conjunction with sea-ice decline, promote the development of the upper-layer marine ecosystem in the central region, thereby providing crucial scientific insight for deepening the understanding of atmosphere-ice-ocean interactions and mechanisms of environmental change in the Arctic Ocean.

This expedition marks the second Arctic Ocean scientific expedition successfully organized by Sun Yat‑sen University. From July to October 2024, the "Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di" completed its first expedition to the Arctic Ocean, during which 14 doctoral students from five universities joined the full journey for field training. For the first time, the university also launched a live-streaming course for undergraduates directly from the research vessel.

向着冰海，出发！

2025年夏天，一艘搭乘了13所高校和科研院所38名师生的极地科考船从广州出发，历时76天后，满载着从北冰洋带回来的冰样和各种珍贵的科研样本资料，回到祖国。“中山大学极地”号——国内高校自主拥有运维的第一艘也是唯一一艘极地科考船，经过两次跋涉北冰洋的成功科考后，将目光投向了更远的海洋。

“中山大学极地”号此次总航程11852海里，到达北纬81.6度的北冰洋核心区。“中山大学极地”号上搭载了包括无人机、无人潜水器等设备，与卫星联动，形成覆盖“空-天-冰-海-潜”综合观测网络，在卫星遥感的基础上，无人机和无人潜水器可以搜集更近距离的动态情况，从而制定更为全面的智能航线规划。

现场调查初步显示，冰下中小尺度海洋过程加剧了垂向物质与能量交换，与海冰减少共同促进中央区上层海洋生态系统发展，为深入理解北冰洋气-冰-海相互作用和环境变化机理提供重要科学支撑。

这是中山大学成功组织的第二次北冰洋科考。2024年7月至10月，“中山大学极地”号顺利实施北冰洋首航，来自5所高校14名博士研究生跟随航次全程开展科考实习实训，并首次尝试开展了面向大学生的科考现场直播课程。

文 | 记者 王倩 通讯员 曹宁
图 | 记者 王倩（北极部分由学校提供）
翻译丨柯妃娟
审校丨林佳岱