Chinese expedition team reaches Mt. Cho Oyu summit for scientific research

The weather stations are powered by solar panels and can run for two years under normal circumstances. Their daily work is to transmit meteorological information such as temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, and solar radiation through satellite communication and other means.

The data will fill the blank in the meteorological record in extremely high-altitude areas, and is of great significance for monitoring the changes of glaciers and snow cover at high altitude, Zhao added.

The summit of Mount Cho Oyu is fairly wide, which is very rare among the highest peaks in the world. According to the preliminary research, the ice on the summit could be as thick as more than 70 meters, and the ice cores are of good quality, Yao said.

The expeditionists drilled an ice core of 10 meters long every 100 meters down from the summit. The ice cores will be transported to the freezer at the base camp at an altitude of 5,700 meters for preservation.

According to Yao, the ice core samples are expected to reveal the process and mechanism of the cryosphere change of the region in recent years, and provide scientific support for the ecological protection of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.