Hong Kong (Reuters) – China said its first atmospheric monitoring station in Antarctica began operating this week, a move aimed at helping observe changes in the southern continent and supporting the global response to climate change.
Like the United States, China has been expanding its presence in Antarctica and the Arctic to explore polar resources.
The Zhongshan National Atmospheric Background Station will carry out “continuous and long-term operational observations of concentration changes in Antarctic atmospheric components,” the official news agency said. Xinhuaciting the China Meteorological Administration.
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The station is located in Larsmann Hills in East Antarctica.
Polar regions are “amplifiers” of global climate change, said Ding Minghu, director of the Institute of Global Change and Polar Meteorology at the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences.
According to him, the station’s observation data can have “unique geographic advantages and scientific value”, which helps in studying the impact of human activities on the environment.
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In February, China opened its scientific research station in the Ross Sea in Antarctica. China has five other research stations in Antarctica, built between 1985 and 2014.
