Students greet the Chinese Arctic expedition team in Shanghai, east China, Sept. 26, 2016. China's seventh Arctic expedition using the Chinese icebreaker Xuelong returned to its research base in Shanghai on Monday after a 78-day mission. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)

China's seventh Arctic expedition using the Chinese icebreaker Xuelong returned to its research base in Shanghai on Monday after a 78-day mission.

Xuelong set out from Shanghai on July 11 and has since traveled 13,000 nautical miles to explore marine areas such as the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea and the Canada Basin.

The team traveled as far as 82.53 degrees north latitude, and for the first time explored the Mendeleev Ridge in the Arctic Ocean.

Scientists studied marine meteorology, geology and chemistry, and surveyed seven ice stations, while the expedition smoothly completed all its scheduled tasks, said Li Yuansheng, chief scientist on the expedition.

The expedition team laid several observation buoys in various seas and explored deep stratums by creating an artificial seismic wave.

Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, was equipped with two helicopters, research support and emergency equipment during the expedition. The Ukraine-built ship was first put into use in 1994 and can break ice that is 1.2 meters thick.