Chinese icebreaker’s visit may clear path for city scientists to join national missions
A recent visit by the first Chinesebuilt polar research icebreaker has opened doors for Hong Kong scientists to join national missions, experts have said.
But the specialists said that despite the large pool of scientists in the city, a lack of coordination and funding could pose challenges for those interested in polar research.
The Xue Long 2 icebreaker departed Hong Kong on Friday after the expedition team completed a five-day visit following months of research in Antarctica.
Professor Ho Kin-chung, who headed the visit’s organising committee, said mainland officials had pledged that Hong Kong scientists would be able to participate in the vessel’s future missions, telling the Post that more information would be revealed by the end of the year.
Ho, the founder of visit organisers the Green Future Foundation Association and Polar Research Institute of Hong Kong, said the city needed a platform to connect local experts with mainland authorities, as scientists at present had to seek opportunities in their own capacity.
“We need a platform or committee for overall planning and better connectivity. We don’t know whom to approach now in Hong Kong,” he said.
“It is not under the Hong Kong Observatory, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, nor the Environment and Ecology Bureau, and it would be inappropriate to designate one university to take charge.”
Ho said he believed the city had enough talent in areas that could contribute to national expeditions, such as Geographic Information System experts, referring to a computer system that analyses and displays geographical data.
Professor Benoit Thibodeau, an assistant professor at Chinese University’s school of life sciences, agreed that while Hong Kong did not have a lot of polar researchers, the current talent pool had a lot of potential.
“We have a lot of expertise in ecology, so we could contribute by sending ecologists to the polar regions and studying how organisms are changing or adapting to different conditions,” he said.
“Marine science is very strong in Hong Kong and if they have the chance to go on such expeditions, they could retrieve important data and samples. If we have the chance to access those expeditions and research vessels, I think it could be very beneficial.”
Thibodeau said that the study of polar regions was important for understanding climate change as the impacts of global warming were amplified there.
Funding for such studies was another obstacle, he added.
“Most of our funding for scientific research comes from the [Research Grants Council], which values practicality and the feasibility of your research. Between proposing to get some samples from Tolo Harbour or from the Arctic Ocean, the latter is much more costly,” he said.
“The visit of the Xue Long 2 is really important for us to also raise awareness of the importance of doing polar research.”
Among the researchers visiting with the vessel was Dr Luo
Guangfu, a senior researcher from the Polar Research Institute of China, who said he felt the city was home to many eager young people with a high level of awareness about global warming.
“Those who want to join our expedition team can study oceanography, biology and meteorology. There are many different roles required on the expedition team,” he said.
Public enthusiasm was on full display as residents snapped up tickets to board the vessel for a close-up look during its stay.
Access to polar regions was one of the biggest challenges for researchers, Thibodeau said.
“People can only develop specific expertise in the polar region if they have the chance to actually access the region,” he said. “Without specific opportunities or channels, it’s very, very hard to get there. Having access to those samples is really what is missing.”
Natalie Chung Sum-yue is one of the handful of Hongkongers who has had the chance to embark on a polar expedition.
She first set foot in Antarctica last February and realised the impact of climate change was far worse than she had expected.
“I was expecting to see the vast whiteness of the ocean and the glaciers,” said the 27-year-old climate advocate. “But we saw a lot of the ice sheets covered with Antarctic algae that has formed due to higher photosynthesis rates from the warming climate.”
Chung joined Sylvia Earle, the renowned 88-year-old marine biology expert, on her Antarctic climate expedition as a representative of the city after being invited by an Australian organisation.
The Chinese University graduate researched water samples and whale behaviour at the South Pole, while conducting interviews with researchers on the trip.
Chung said the vessel’s visit was a good opportunity to educate the public, especially young people, about how their actions could impact the polar regions.
“I think the Xue Long 2 visit really opened everyone’s eyes and mindset to understand the grandness of natural research in the polar regions and how much China is doing on Antarctic preservation.”
If we have the chance to access those expeditions, I think it could be very beneficial BENOIT THIBODEAU, CHINESE UNIVERSITY