China-Russia marine expedition launched in Russia

VLADIVOSTOK, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A China-Russia joint marine scientific expedition was officially launched on Tuesday in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.

Chinese and Russian scientists will embark on a research voyage aboard the scientific vessel Akademik M.A. Lavrentyev to the Bering Sea and the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Wang Jun, acting consul general of China in Vladivostok, said that since Chinese and Russian marine scientists first began joint expeditions 15 years ago, the two sides have jointly tackled numerous scientific challenges and forged deep mutual trust and friendship.

As the latest expedition focuses on paleoceanography, paleoclimatology, and ecosystem research, Wang said, the findings are expected to enhance understanding of climate evolution in the North Pacific-Arctic region and provide critical scientific support for predicting future environmental changes.

In an era of growing globalization and regional integration, the resumption of joint marine research underlines both countries' shared commitment to addressing global climate change and advancing marine science, he added.

The expedition, jointly organized by the Pacific Oceanological Institute (POI) of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Science and the First Institute of Oceanography under China's Ministry of Natural Resources, is the first since cooperation was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said POI Director Denis Makarov.

On the expedition's significance, he said that its results will help reconstruct historical ocean and climate patterns, which are essential for assessing the impacts of climate change on regional marine ecosystems, fisheries, and shipping routes.

The expedition team, comprising 25 scientists -- five from China and 20 from Russia -- will conduct comprehensive environmental research in selected areas of the Bering Sea and the northwestern Pacific, aiming to investigate how these regions responded to and interacted with global climate changes during the Late Quaternary period, according to Zou Jianjun, Chinese chief scientist and geologist of the team.