30 June 2017, Volume 28 Issue 2

    

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  Contents of No.2 Vol.28 2017

  Editorial Office of Advances in Polar Science

  Advances in Polar Science. 2017, 28(2): 0-0.

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Editorial
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  Editorial: Advance and key research outputs in China’s Antarctic and Arctic science program—commemorating three decades of Chinese National Polar Research Expeditions

  Editors-in-Chief

  Advances in Polar Science. 2017, 28(2): 79-80.

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  The Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE) was established and first reached the Antarctic in 1984. Up until 2017, China has undertaken 33 cruises to Antarctica, and seven cruises to the Arctic Ocean. The 30th anniversary of CHINARE was recently celebrated. This thematic issue of Advances in Polar Science contains seven papers reviewing outcomes of polar research during the last 30 years. The results from the CHINARE research program published in this and subsequent issues reflect the achievements and contributions of Chinese scientists to polar science.
Reviews
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  Holocene climate change and anthropogenic activity records in Svalbard: a unique perspective based on Chinese research from Ny-Ålesund

  YANG Zhongkang, YUAN Linxi , WANG Yuhong, SUN Liguang

  Advances in Polar Science. 2017, 28(2): 81-90. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2017.2.00081

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  Climate change in the Arctic region is more rapid than that in other areas owing to Arctic amplification. To better understand climate change and the driving mechanisms, long-term historical reconstructions throughout the Holocene and high-resolution records of the past few hundred years are required. Intense anthropogenic activities in the Arctic have had a great impact on the local environment. Here, we review the Holocene climate change record, responses of the ecosystems to climate change, and the anthropogenic impacts on the environment based mainly on Chinese research from Ny-Ålesund. Climate reconstruction studies from Svalbard have revealed several cold episodes during the Holocene, which are consistent with ice rafting events in the North Atlantic region and glacier activity from Greenland, Iceland, and Svalbard. The ecosystem also showed corresponding responses to climate change, especially during the late Holocene. Over recent decades, anthropogenic activities have caused serious pollution and deterioration to the local environment in Svalbard in areas frequented by people. Greater environmental protection is therefore needed to reduce the anthropogenic impacts on the local environment.
  
  
  
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  Progress in Chinese research on water masses and circulation in the Arctic and subarctic ocean

  CAO Yong, ZHAO Jinping, SHAO Qiuli

  Advances in Polar Science. 2017, 28(2): 91-99. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2017.2.00091

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  The Arctic Ocean and Arctic sea ice have undergone a series of rapid changes. Oceanographic surveying has become one of the key missions of the Chinese National Arctic Research Expeditions since 1999. Using the data obtained in these surveys and from other sources, Chinese researchers have carried out a series of studies in the field of Arctic physical oceanography. The Near Sea-surface Temperature Maximum, freshwater content and heat flux in different regions of the Arctic have drawn wide attention from Chinese researchers. Arctic circulation is changing with the decline of sea ice, which is also influencing the structure and distribution of water masses. Studies have also focused on these issues. In this paper, the main results of research on water masses, currents, the structure of the upper ocean and other major hydrological phenomena over the past two decades are summarized.
  
  
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  Review of research on Arctic sea ice physics based on the Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition

  LEI Ruibo, ZHANG Zhanhai, LI Zhijun, YANG Qinghua, LI Bingrui, LI Tao

  Advances in Polar Science. 2017, 28(2): 100-110. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2017.2.00100

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  China launched its Arctic research program and organized the first Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE-Arctic) in 1999. By 2016, six further expeditions had been conducted using the R/V Xuelong. The main region of the expeditions has focused on the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean for sea ice observations. The expeditions have used icebreaker, helicopter, boat, floe, and buoy platforms to perform these observations. Some new technologies have been developed, in particular, the underway auto-observing system for sea ice thickness using an electromagnetic instrument. The long-term measurement systems, e.g., the sea ice mass balance buoy, allow observations to extend from summer to winter. Some international cooperation projects have been involved in CHINARE-Arctic, especially the “Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-Term Environmental Studies” project funded by the European Union during the International Polar Year. Arctic sea ice observations have been used to verify remote sensing products, identify changes in Arctic sea ice, optimize the parameterizations of sea ice physical processes, and assess the accessibility of ice-covered waters, especially around the Northeast Passage. Recommendations are provided as guidance to future CHINARE-Arctic projects. For example, a standardized operation system of sea ice observations should be contracted, and the observations of sea ice dynamics should be enhanced. The upcoming launch of a new Chinese icebreaker will allow increased ship time in support of future CHINARE Arctic oceanographic investigations.
  
  
  
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  Advances in Chinese Arctic and subarctic research in marine biology and ecology with emphasis on the Pacific Arctic sector

  LI Hai, LIN Longshan, SONG Puqing, LI Yuan, ZHANG Ran, LIN Heshan, LIN Rongcheng, HAO Qiang, ZHANG Fang, ZHANG Guangtao

  Advances in Polar Science. 2017, 28(2): 111-119. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2017.2.00111

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  The Arctic is one of the most sensitive regions that respond through feedback to global climate changes. Climatic, hydrological and ecological changes in the Arctic are clear evidence of global warming. In 2012 and 2014, the 5th and 6th Chinese National Arctic Research Expeditions undertook studies in the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean (including the Chukchi Sea), and the Norwegian Sea. These studies provided us with a better understanding of the marine biology and ecology in the Arctic and subarctic regions, particularly in the Pacific Arctic sector. Rapid changes observed in the Arctic environment include the shrinking of cold-water masses in the Bering Sea in the summer, and elevated water temperatures promoting phytoplankton blooms, leading to an increase in phytoplankton transferred to higher trophic levels. As a result, the transfer efficiency of organic matter toward the bottom weakened, leading to a reduction in benthic biomass. This is consistent with expectations that the overall carbon and energy flux will ultimately switch from the dominant mode of sea ice–algae–benthos to one of phytoplankton–zooplankton. Influenced by Pacific water inflow, fluvial runoff and melting sea ice, the Chukchi Sea exhibited different responses to various environmental changes. Interactions between water masses led to other interannual ecological shifts. With the increase in sea ice melt and sunlight in the central region of the Arctic Ocean, the relative abundance of heterotrophic bacteria is expected to increase, and play a vital role in the Arctic microbial loop.
  
  
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  Progress of Chinese zooplankton ecology research in Prydz Bay, Antarctica

  LI Chaolun, YANG Guang

  Advances in Polar Science. 2017, 28(2): 120-128. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2017.2.00120

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  Zooplankton are considered an important trophic link between primary producers and higher trophic level species in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Since 1989, when the Chinese Antarctic Zhongshan Station was built, zooplankton have regularly been sampled and investigated in Prydz Bay through oceanographic surveys of each Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition. This review summarizes the main results from zooplankton ecology studies conducted in Prydz Bay by Chinese researchers. Major topics covered in this review are: (1) a description of the biology and ecology of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), the key zooplankton species of the Southern Ocean ecosystem; (2) zooplankton community structure, including the horizontal distribution in the epipelagic region and vertical distribution between 0−1500 m; (3) feeding ecology of dominant species such as Antarctic krill, salps and copepods; (4) a short introduction to the molecular research; and (5) prospects for future research.
  
  
  
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  Ecological responses of typical Antarctic marine organisms to climate change and anthropogenic impacts

  YANG Lianjiao, HUANG Tao, XIE Zhouqing, LIU Xiaodong, ZHU Renbin, CHU Zhuding, WANG Yuhong, SUN Liguang

  Advances in Polar Science. 2017, 28(2): 129-138. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2017.2.00129

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  To improve our understanding and ability to predict biological responses to global climate change, it is important to be able to distinguish the influences of natural forcing from anthropogenic impacts. In the ice-free areas of Antarctica, lake and terrestrial sediments that contain penguin guanos, seal excrement and other biological remains provide natural archives of ecological, geological and climatic information that range from hundreds to thousands of years old. Our review focuses on the paleoecology of typical Antarctic marine organisms (penguins, seals and Antarctic krill) and their responses to climate change and human activities over centennial and millennial timescales. Land-based seabirds and marine mammals play an important role in linking the marine and terrestrial ecosystems and act as bio-vectors, transporting large amounts of nutrients and contaminants from ocean to land.
  
  
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  Review of CHINARE chemical oceanographic research in the Southern Ocean during 1984–2016

  CHEN Liqi, CHEN Min, ZHAN Liyan, QI Di, GAO Zhongyong, WANG Jianjun, XU Suqing, CHEN Kui, ZENG Jian, ZHANG Run

  Advances in Polar Science. 2017, 28(2): 139-150. https://doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2017.2.00139

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  Between 1984 and 2016, China executed 33 Antarctic cruises with the icebreaker R/V Xuelong, which have provided opportunities for Chinese scientists to investigate the status and changes of the Southern Ocean. Research in chemical oceanography constitutes one of the primary missions of the Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE). This paper reviews nearly 30 years of Chinese Antarctic expeditions, focusing on the major progress achieved in chemical oceanographic research. Specifically, the sea-surface distributions and air–sea fluxes of CO₂ and N₂O are considered, and the transport, flux, and budget of organic matter are investigated based on isotopes in the Southern Ocean, especially in Prydz Bay. In addition, the nutrient distribution and deep-water particle export in Prydz Bay and the study of aerosol heavy metal characteristics are considered. Finally, the prospects for future Chinese Antarctic chemical oceanographic research are outlined.