Chinese scientists were the first to conduct manned dives in the area of long-term Arctic ice

China has become the only country to make a series of continuous dives with a crew on board in the area of continuous multi-year Arctic ice, the press service of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported. 
The deep-sea habitable vehicles Fendouzhe and Jiaolong, which were on board the icebreaker Exploration III (Tansuo Sanhao), completed a total of 43 joint dives. 
The maximum diving depth was 5,277 meters. 
In the central Arctic basin, where sea ice cover exceeds 80%, Chinese scientists used vehicles for manned deep–sea exploration of the Gakkel Ridge, the boundary of tectonic plates between the North American and Eurasian plates. 
During the research, samples of water, sediments, rocks and biological samples were collected, along with geophysical data. The samples will be used to study the geology of the Gakkel Ridge, the biodiversity of deep-sea fauna, and the impact of hydrothermal activity on the Arctic ecosystem. 

Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished