On November 10, 2020, China embarked the 37th Antarctic scientific expedition organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources as "Xuelong 2", or "Snow Dragon 2", set off from Shanghai. The 37th Antarctic scientific expedition will focus on addressing global climate change and other issues, and carry out hydrometeorological and ecological environment investigations. The ship is planned to travel over 30,000 nautical miles and return to Shanghai in May next year.

Guo Guijun, Guo Jingteng, Fu Yanguang, and Cao Wei, four scientists from the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO), participated in the investigation. They were responsible for the hydrometeorology of the Southern Ocean, the investigation of marine sediment environment, and the operational monitoring of microplastics. On November 4, Wei Zexun, deputy director of FIO, convened personnel from relevant departments to hold a mobilization meeting and deployed scientific research tasks and safety.