"Science" sets sail, launching the 15th shared voyage of the West Pacific Scientific Expedition

On July 4, the comprehensive research vessel "Science" set sail from its home port in Qingdao, beginning the approximately 40day 2026 Western Pacific Scientific Expedition Shared Cruise. This is also the 15th time this cruise has been carried out since its launch in 2010. This scientific expedition will focus on the mainstream currents of the Western Pacific, changes in the warm pool, and their impact on the climate and environment, while also studying the evolution of complex seafloor landforms and their resource and environmental effects. The fleet will simultaneously conduct multidisciplinary observations in airsea interactions, physical oceanography, marine ecology, marine chemistry, and marine geology. According to reports, the cruise will adopt a coordinated observation method combining "fixedpoint moored buoys, mobile gliders, and shipbased transects." The "Langya" series of buoys and moored instruments independently developed by China will carry out highfrequency, finegrained measurements of airsea interface processes in the tropical Western Pacific warm pool, providing data support for related climate research and marine observations.