China will soon set up its first annual deep sea sub-surface mooring system in Arctic Ocean to observe the long term changes in marine. The system will gather information on temperature, speed of currents and salinity at various depths in the coming years in the ocean, members of the country' third Arctic expedition team has said.

"It would facilitate studies of the impact of environmental changes in the Arctic Ocean on global climate, especially on China". A trap would catch marine lives on regular basis for scientific studies, they said aboard Xuelong ice breaker or "Snow Dragon", that left Shanghai on July 11 with 122 scientists and logistics staff for a 75 day expedition.

The team will study the polar regions, air quality, distinctive maritime resources and conduct comprehensive research on meteorological and geological conditions, it said. In 2003 China deployed a 40 day mooring system in the Bering Sea. The system will be installed in Chukchi Sea waters, where the currents from the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean converge.

The area is considered is very importance for scientific research on water variation, Dr Chen Hong Xia, a member of the expedition team, said. The system would be set up by the 3rd expedition in due course and retrieved by Chinese researchers scheduled to enter the Arctic region in 2009.