Unmanned Ice Station

From August 18 to 22, 2018, Chinese scientists installed the Arctic Ocean’s first unmanned ice station system during China’s ninth Arctic expedition, ushering in an “unmanned era” for scientific observation of the North Pole.

The new research station can perform unattended observation of multiple fluctuations in the ocean, sea ice and atmosphere of the North Pole. Currently, most countries use icebreakers in summer to explore the Arctic, resulting in a lack of understanding of key processes such as ice melting in spring and freezing in autumn, which are crucial to understanding changes in sea ice. The unmanned ice station is a valuable supplement to research in the absence of scientific expedition vessels.

Additionally, considering the harsh natural environment of the Arctic and limited support for equipment installation, Chinese scientists designed a package plan comprised of two prototypes and four subsystems, an unprecedented effort globally. The unmanned ice station wields a number of independently developed core technologies such as longterm observation by light radiation inside sea ice, wind speed observation on ice surface to prevent frozen raindrops and long-term observation technology of towing profiles under the ice.

The unmanned ice station can perform long-term continuous gathering of data on the Arctic, which is helpful for monitoring its environment and climate change. VCG