China will build its third Antarctic research station in about two years, this time on the ice sheet's highest plateau, researchers said.

The new research station, which follows the Zhongshan and Changcheng stations, will be built on Dome A, the highest icecap in the Antarctic in 2009, "if nothing goes wrong," Cui Xiangqun, vice-director of the Chinese Center for Antarctic Astronomy, said at the recent 2007 Astronomy Conference in Nanjing.

A spokesman for the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration surnamed Gao confirmed the plan, adding that scientists are already receiving acclimatization training in Tibet to prepare them to land on Dome A later this year.

Xuelong, the ship that will carry the scientists to their destination, will depart from Shanghai on October 30. It will be 24th research trip by Chinese scientists to the South Pole. The team is expected to return to Shanghai on April 20 next year, according to the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC).

The new station, named Duxia, will be the world's first station on the highest point in the Antarctic.

Dome A, where temperatures are believed to reach -90 C, has long been considered an "unapproachable area".

Duxia, which translates as "spending summer", will complement the research efforts of Zhongshan and Changcheng, which are near the coast.

"As the first inland station, Duxia is important for the Chinese scientific research in the Antarctic," Wu Jun, the vice-director of the polar administration, told the media earlier.

The State Council has approved the plan to build Duxia station on Dome A, according to the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration.

"Zhongshan and Changcheng are located too close to the coast. In the summer, the ice has been moving quite a lot," said Zeng Honghui, a spokesperson from the PRIC.

"Dome A is the highest icecap, and took millions of years to form," Zeng told China Daily. "Drilling to the core of the ice will tell us about climate changes over the course of maybe a million years."

"It's the best position to do weather observation given the thin air and high altitude there," he said.

Global warming is a hot public issue, he said. By studying the ice formation on Dome A, scientists can learn about the climate's changing cycles.

"The two poles are drawing attention now, especially since the ice in the Arctic has been melting so quickly. We must pursue a breakthrough in polar research," Zeng said.

In January 2005, a team from the Chinese National Antarctic Research Expeditions traveled the 1,228 km from Zhongshan Station to Dome A and located the highest point of the ice sheet.

According to China.com, a site map of the Gamburtsev mountains, Dome A and a detailed route from Zhongshan Station to the Duxia station has been completed by Wuhan University.

A team of about 18 people will move to Dome A when Xuelong arrives at the Antarctic to prepare for the construction of Duxia, Zhang Zhanhai from the PRIC told the media.

During their stay in the Antarctic, crews on Xuelong will also renovate Changcheng and Zhongshan.

(China Daily via chinaview.cn August 17, 2007)