KUWAIT CITY, Oct 9: An autonomous underwater vehicle developed by a Chinese university team obtained abundant data during the latest Arctic expedition, revealing various characteristics under the ice.

The red, fish-shaped robot is called “XH1000,” and was manufactured by researchers from Harbin Engineering University.

During the 13th Arctic Ocean Scientific Expedition, which concluded in late September, this robot completed detections of the sub-ice environment near the Chukchi Sea and transmitted abundant data, including ocean water temperature, salinity, and pH levels.

Equipped with locally developed sonar devices, the autonomous underwater vehicle, designed for polar observation, explored an area of 7,000 square meters under the ice in the Arctic.

Operations team leader Zhu Zhongbin, an assistant professor at the aforementioned university, said that the information collected will help scientists improve their understanding of the changing process of sea ice and ocean currents in this region, providing graphic support to effectively deal with the effects of global climate change on China.

He pointed out that the mission demonstrated many technologies, including underwater navigation at high latitudes in the polar region, and generated valuable experience for the robotic submarine to operate in high-risk polar regions and extremely harsh environments.

Chinese scientists launched the 13th scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean last July 12 aboard the polar icebreaker “Xuehelong 2.” They traveled 15,000 nautical miles before returning to Shanghai on September 27.

The university indicated that "Xuelong 2" reached the North Pole on September 5, to fill the gap in the country's scientific research on the polar region.