A Chinese scientist said China plans to build a remote-sensing satellite receiving station in Antarctica to better monitor the global ocean environment.

Jiang Xingwei, director of China's National Satellite Ocean Application Service, who is traveling with the Xuelong icebreaker, said the receiving station will rely on the Zhongshan Station and the Great Wall Station, China's two research stations in Antarctica.

Jiang said the receiving station will mainly receive information sent out by ocean satellites, and acquire updates on ocean water color, ocean dynamic environment and the polar region environment.

The station has great significance as over 70 percent of the earth's surface is covered by ocean, he added.

Currently, China has four ocean satellite receiving stations, which are located in Beijing, Sanya in southern Hainan Province, Mudanjiang in northeastern Heilongjiang Province and Hangzhou in northern Zhejiang Province.

(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2009)