From its founding in 1990 as Antarctic Research (English version) to the Issue 3 in 2025 (Volume 36, Issue 3), Advances in Polar Science (APS) has published a total of 100 issues, marking the beginning of a new stage in its development.
Picture: Cover of the Total Issue 100 (Volume 36, Issue 3)
Since its founding in 1990, as the only English-language journal dedicated to polar science in China, and indeed in all developing countries, APS has consistently committed to providing scientists, engineers, policy makers, and stakeholders with a platform for sharing innovative research and perspectives on the polar regions.
In the development journey of APS, 2015 marked a pivotal milestone. This year witnessed the launch of APS’s systematic internationalization reform and the establishment of its International Editorial Board. Since then, the journal’s global influence has seen sustained growth. Over the past 5 years, submissions from abroad have consistently accounted for more than 20%.
2025 also stands as a pivotal milestone for APS. In early 2025, APS further restructured its International Editorial Board with Dr. Ruibo Lei and Dr. Yeadong Kim serving as Co-Editors-in-Chief, increasing the representation of young scientists active in frontline polar research, optimizing the international composition of the Board. The current Board now comprises 69 scientists from 17 countries, covering the most significant areas of polar research, including 27 international and 42 Chinese editors. In this year, APS was endorsed by the Asian Forum for Polar Sciences (AFoPS) and initiated cooperation during the 2025 AFoPS annual general meeting in India. APS will support AFoPS in planning and organizing special issues in various fields of polar science and in supporting early-career researchers from Asia in publishing their work. Concurrently, 2025 marks the milestone publication of the Total Issue 100 of APS.
In terms of global polar research, humanity has gained a clearer understanding of the importance of the polar regions within the global climate system, biodiversity, and carbon redistribution across Earth’s spheres, as well as for solar-terrestrial coupling. Against this backdrop, the 5th International Polar Year (IPY-5) initiative, jointly promoted by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), has entered its planning phase and urgently calls for contributions from the global scientific community. This grand initiative aligns with the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of polar science. In response to the growing interdisciplinary trends in polar science, particularly during the planning, preparation, and implementation of IPY-5, APS will launch a series of special columns and issues to promote interdisciplinary integration and innovation. Moving forward, APS aims to build an inclusive global academic community that provides comprehensive knowledge services for polar researchers and other related communities. Under the new Editorial Board’s leadership, APS has further scientifically realigned its positioning, development goals, and publication plans for special columns and issues; closely aligned with frontier issues in polar science and global change, APS will further advance the journal’s quality and enhance its academic standing and international influence.
Co-Editors-in-Chief, APS
Ruibo Lei, PRIC, Shanghai
Yeadong Kim, KONPOR, Incheon
(For more on this topic, please see the issue’s editorial: https://aps.chinare.org.cn/EN/PDF/977)
The peer-reviewed, open-access journal Advances in Polar Science (APS) published the Total Issue 100 (Volume 36, Issue 3). This issue covers 8 papers, comprising 7 articles and 1 editorial. The articles primarily covers research on the navigability and economic feasibility assessments of Arctic shipping routes, air-sea interactions in the Arctic Ocean, whaling archaeology in the Arctic, and governance frameworks in the Antarctic. The titles and highlights of the papers are presented below. Please see more details via APS website: https://aps.chinare.org.cn.
This paper explores the archaeology of whaling in Arctic prehistory, focusing on the emergence and development of whaling as a central component of cultural ecology among prehistoric Inuit and related societies. Drawing on archaeological evidence from key sites across Alaska, the Chukchi Peninsula, and the Bering Strait region, the study examines how whaling technologies and practices evolved alongside climatic fluctuations, ecological shifts, and social transformations. Integrating ethnographic insights and paleoclimatic data, the study argues that Inuit engagement with whales was not only a subsistence strategy but a long-term, historically contingent relationship that shaped and was shaped by broader cultural systems.
Citation: Qu F. Archaeology of whaling in the Arctic prehistory. Adv Polar Sci, 2025, 36(3): 171-178, doi: 10.12429/j.advps.2025.0020
Understanding the sediment record during the Little Ice Age (LIA) can help elucidate natural sea ice fluctuation and carbon cycle variability. This study analyzed the grain size composition (including ice-rafted debris), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) content, and stable isotopic composition (δ13C and δ15N) of the sediment record (approximately 490 a) of core ARC7-R11 in the northern part of the Chukchi Shelf. The results suggest that: (1) The entire region was in a low-energy hydrodynamic condition; (2) Seasonal sea ice occurred and the perennial sea ice margin retreated during warmer periods of the LIA and the post-LIA period; (3) During the LIA, the TOC content fluctuated with a decreasing trend, and the relative contribution of terrestrial OC was higher than during the modern warm period; (4) The amount of OC buried in the sediment has increased with climate warming, especially after the 1940s, reflecting the enhanced ability of sediment to sequester carbon during warmer periods.
Citation: Yu X G, Ye L M, Zhang W Y, et al. Organic matter burial and deposition conditions in the northern part of Chukchi Shelf, Arctic Ocean, since the Little Ice Age. Adv Polar Sci, 2025, 36(3): 179-190, doi: 10.12429/j.advps.2025.0005
This study selects hub ports based on infrastructure conditions and sea ice status, and then designs two pendulum route solutions for the Northeast Passage according to the distance between hub ports and ice-covered areas. Key findings indicate that (1) both solutions demonstrate >90% probability of economic viability and (2) Solution I′, with hub ports closer to ice-covered areas than those in Solution II, yields 5.02% higher mean annual profit and 4.69% greater NPV. The results indicate that pendulum routes in the Northeast Passage can achieve economic benefits by enabling year-round regular operations. Moreover, shorter shipping distances between hub ports and ice-covered areas enhance economic viability.
Citation: Hu M X, Chen Y Y. Pendulum routes in the Northeast Passage: design and economic analysis. Adv Polar Sci, 2025, 36(3): 191-202, doi: 10.12429/j.advps.2025.0008
This paper takes the case of marine genetic resource (MGRs) management in the Antarctic Treaty Area to explore how the BBNJ Agreement may address regulatory gaps in a competent governance framework. Due to shortcomings in addressing core issues, concerning the legal status of MGRs access regulations, benefit-sharing mechanisms, and disclosure of origin, the Agreement is unlikely to have a significant impact on the governance of MGRs in the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) in the short term. On the other hand, the ATS, as an effective governance framework for the Antarctic Treaty Area, has mature regulations and practical experience in Antarctic governance. Over the years, the ATS has focused on regulating bioprospecting activities as scientific research ones and strict environmental impact assessment procedures. However, there has not been an effective consensus on the regulation of commercial biological prospecting. This paper further explores the coordination issue between the BBNJ Agreement and the ATS, suggesting that in the future, MGRs governance in the Antarctic Treaty Area may evolve into a polycentric governance system.
Citation: Pan M. Evaluating the impact of the BBNJ Agreement on regulatory gaps in a competent IFB: a case study of MGRs management in the Antarctic Treaty Area. Adv Polar Sci, 2025, 36(3): 203-212, doi: 10.12429/j.advps.2025.0010
Based on the changes in the navigable window of the NEP, Russia’s proposed nuclear-powered icebreaker construction scheme, and China’s potential development of a moderately sized ice-class fleet, this study establishes three scenarios for the commercial operation of the NEP. These scenarios include: (1) normalized summer operational scenario (from July to October each year), (2) normalized summer- autumn operational scenario (from June to January of the following year), and (3) normalized year-round operational scenario (12 months per year). The cargo transportation potential of the NEP under three normalized operational scenarios was predicted based on the grey prediction model. On this basis, construction scale plans for China’s ice-class fleet to meet cargo transportation demands under the three normalized operational scenarios were designed. The economic benefits of different plans were evaluated using a profit-maximization linear programming model.
Citation: Hou J J, Hu M X. Design of China’s ice-class fleet scale and economic viability assessment under normalized operation of the Northeast Passage. Adv Polar Sci, 2025, 36(3): 213-228, doi: 10.12429/j.advps.2025.0007
The North Water Polynya (NOW) is one of the largest and most productive polynyas in the Arctic. Compared to the surrounding sea ice, the combination of high winds and cold air, together with the thin ice or open water surface of the NOW, produces large turbulent heat fluxes (THFs). This study calculated the winter latent heat flux (LHF) and sensible heat flux (SHF) over the NOW and its surrounding sea ice area from 2005/2006 to 2015/2016 using high-resolution (15 km) Arctic System Reanalysis version 2 (ASRv2) data and low-resolution (30 km) European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ERA5 data. Results show that the LHF/SHF over the surrounding sea ice is about 82%/88% lower than over the NOW, as estimated using either dataset.
Citation: Ren H Y, Shokr M, Hui F M, et al. Estimating winter turbulent heat fluxes over the North Water Polynya and surrounding sea ice using ERA5 and ASRv2 reanalysis data (2005–2016). Adv Polar Sci, 2025, 36(3): 229-245, doi: 10.12429/j.advps. 2025.0019
Using a combination of observational and physical constraints, this study systematically evaluated the performance of 48 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) models in simulating Arctic sea ice and selected 12 skillful models for detailed analysis. Navigability of the Northeast Passage, Northwest Passage, and Transpolar Sea Route during 2015–2100 was assessed under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) 2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. Results indicate that Polar Class 6 vessels could achieve near year-round navigation by 2100 under SSP2-4.5, and year-round operation as early as 2048 under SSP5-8.5.
Citation: Li M R, Hu S H, Gao Q H, et al. Navigability of Arctic sea routes in the 21st century based on CMIP6. Adv Polar Sci, 2025, 36(3): 246-264, doi: 10.12429/j.advps.2025.0025
沪公网安备 31011502017260号