China set up an automatic meteorological observation
station at the East Rongbuk Glacier of Mount Everest, according to a report by
Xinhua News Agency.
Located 5,830
meters above the ground, the station is the highest long-term positioning
automatic meteorological observation station in the country. It will be used to
monitor the weather conditions of the East Rongbuk Glacier and the exchange
progress between glaciers and atmosphere.
"Thanks to
the help of a Tibetan mountaineering guide and local people, we have set up the
station after four days of work," said Wang Zhongyan, deputy head of the
Atmospheric and Environmental Comprehensive Observation and Research Station on
Mount Everest, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to Wang, China has three
meteorological observation stations on Mount Everest at 4,276 meters, 5,190
meters and 5,830 meters high, respectively.
"The three stations form a
relatively complete observation section at different altitude gradients,"
Wang said. "We will collect records regularly and ensure the normal
operations of the station."
Mount Everest,
which stands at the middle section of the Himalayas, consists of a large area
of glaciers, especially a large valley glacier. The glacier covers a total area
of around 1,600 square meters, accounting for 32 percent of the entire region
of the Mount Everest.
