Snow depth measured at Qomolangma summit

Chinese scientists measuring the snow atop Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) using ground-penetrating radar say the depth at the summit is 9.5 meters, plus or minus 1.2 meters.

The effort to measure the snow depth was launched by scientists in China's second comprehensive scientific expedition team to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The survey result was published in the journal The Cryosphere on Friday.

The science team conducted a series of surveys between April and May last year. Measuring the snow depth on the world's highest mountain was among its main tasks.

It is believed that the work of surveying the snow thickness on Qomolangma and noting its changes will have important scientific value in the study of the atmosphere's effect on global climate change. The subject has drawn wide concern and focus by the scientific community and the public.

"The survey results will provide empirical support for the study of the dynamic changes of the ultra-high altitude cryosphere and the lithosphere at the top of Mount Qomolangma, and also provide a new direction for a deeper understanding of ultra-high altitude climate change," said Yao Tandong, team leader of the latest expedition.

Over the last five decades, multiples reports have addressed the depth of snow at the summit of Mount Qomolangma, but most of the reported data were uncertain or controversial because of deficiencies in measurement devices and methods.