CHINA’S sixth Arctic expedition team aboard icebreaker Xuelong — which means Snow Dragon — has returned to its home port in Shanghai after a two-and-a-half-month voyage.

Xuelong set out from Shanghai on July 11 and has since traveled some 22,000 kilometers to explore key areas such as the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea and the Canada Basin.

Scientists studied geomagnetic data and the receding of sea ice in the Arctic waters, and researched how the Arctic’s atmosphere, currents and ice interact, among other tasks, said Pan Zengdi, chief scientist of the expedition.