China's State Oceanic Administration dispatched a marine monitoring team Thursday from Xiamen City, in China's southeast Fujian Province, to monitor radiation in the west Pacific.

The aim of the mission is to get a better understanding of how nuclear radiation affects the marine environment.

Wang Fei, deputy chief of the State Oceanic Administration, said the mission will help China establish a radioactive alert system in the west Pacific.

The monitoring team consists of 40 people and will sail about 5,000 nautical miles in 30 days, according to the plan.