Published : 28/07/2025

On July 28, 2004, China's first Arctic scientific research station, Yellow River Station, was officially completed and put into use in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway.

Yellow River Station is China's 3rd polar scientific research station after the Great Wall Station and Zhongshan Station in Antarctica. Consequently, China became the 8th country to establish a research station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard.

In his speech at the completion ceremony of Yellow River Station, Wang Shuguang, head of the Chinese government delegation and then Director-General of the State Oceanic Administration, noted that China is a Northern Hemisphere country with a complex and diverse natural environment.

He also said that the natural processes and changes in the Arctic region have significant impacts on China's ocean, climate, ecological environment, and socio-economic development.

The Yellow River Station is China's first Arctic scientific research base, an interdisciplinary, multifunctional, and open comprehensive research platform. The establishment of Yellow River Station has initiated a permanent observation and research platform for China in the Arctic region.

It plays a critical role in unravelling Sun-Earth interactions, studying changes in the Arctic climate and environment, and understanding global climate change, which could significantly enhance China's scientific contribution to global climate change.

Yellow River Station is a two-story building that includes laboratories, offices, a reading and rest room, dormitories, and storage rooms.

At the top of the building, there are five small "attics," which are significant for Arctic scientific research: the aurora optical observation platform.

From spring to autumn each year, scientific researchers from various disciplines rotate to conduct research as needed.

During the polar night, one or two aurora observation team members remain at the station for research. During other times, even if there are no researchers at the station, the built-in equipment continues automatic observations.