China sets up world’s highest automatic weather station at 8,800 m altitude on Mount Everest
Chinese scients have successfully established the world’s highest automatic weather station at an altitude of around 8,800 meters on Mount Everest on the China-Nepal border, on Wednesday. It has replaced the one at an altitude of 8.430 meters set up the British and US scients on the southern side of the mountain in 2019, according to the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Thirteen members of the Chinese Earth Summit Mission 2022 left their camp at the altitude of 8,300 meters at 3 am on Wednesday and reached the desired height of 8,800 meters and established the weather station around 12:46 pm, China Central Television, country’s state broadcaster, reported.
The scientific expedition is part of China’s second scientific research survey on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which started in 2017. Glaciolog Yao Tandong told Xinhua News Agency that this unprecedented feat marks a crucial milestone of the expedition, known as the Roof of the World.
According to Zhao Huabiao, a researcher at ITP, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is facing a warming tendency along with global warming. Additionally, the higher the altitude, the more the temperature has risen. The newly-established weather station will help collect and study meteorological data from the world’s highest peak that will yield crucial insights about the conditions of the local glaciers, Global Times stated.
In addition, it will help scients monitor and understand the global monsoon system and other such weather mechanisms. This will enable the experts and policymakers to make informed decisions revolving around climate change and sustainable development.
Earlier this year, three meteorological stations were established on the northern side of the mountain at altitudes of 7,028 meters, 7,790 meters, and 8,300 meters, respectively. Last year, four stations at altitudes of 6,500 meters, 5,800 meters, 5,400 meters, and 5,200 meters were established. These eight stations, according to Zhao, will collect the wind speed, wind direction data, and relative humidity on the north side of the mountain.
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