Chinese scientists set off for the 11th Arctic expedition Wednesday aboard Xuelong 2, the country's first domestically built polar icebreaker, departing from Shanghai.

Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, China's first domestically built polar icebreaker, moors at a port in Shanghai, east China, July 15, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

It is the first scientific expedition to the Arctic for Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, after it completed its first Antarctica expedition in April. It is expected to return to Shanghai in late September after a trip of 12,000 nautical miles.

The expedition, organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, plans to conduct a series of investigations into biodiversity and ecosystems, ocean acidification and chemical environment, and new pollutants in areas including the Chukchi Rise, Canada Basin, and the central Arctic Ocean.

It will further improve China's scientific understanding of climate change in the Arctic, and lay a solid foundation for the country to better respond to global climate change.