China's research icebreaker Xuelong-2 returned to Shanghai on September 27 after finishing a series of scientific research missions in the Arctic. The massive ship, whose name means "Snow Dragon," set off on July 12 and traveled over 15,000 nautical miles in 78 days. 

A major objective of the mission, organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, was to investigate the geology and geophysics of mid-ocean ridges and to study atmospheric, marine, subsurface and sea ice environmental conditions as well as biomes and pollutants.