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How deep is the snow on Mount Everest? A Chinese team says it’s deeper than previously thought
- Radar readings taken during an expedition along the north slope suggest the snowpack’s thickness to be more than nine metres at some points
- The results could help understand the effects of climate change at extremely high elevations, researchers say
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The mantle of snow on top of the world’s highest peak is much deeper than previously thought, a finding that could affect understanding of climate change, according to a group of Chinese scientists.
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In a report in the non-profit international scientific journal The Cryosphere on Thursday, the researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research said the average depth of the snow on the summit of Mount Everest was about 9.5 metres (31.1 feet).
Previous estimates put the depth within a range of 0.92-3.5 metres, the researchers said, adding that those measurements had been inconsistent and had “large uncertainties”.
“Our measurement revealed an astonishing mean snow depth at the … summit of approximately 9.5 metres, which is much deeper than previous estimates,” Professor Yang Wei, from the institute, said in a video on The Cryosphere’s website.
The researchers based the finding on results of an expedition along the north slope of Mount Everest in April and May last year.
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They used ground-penetrating radar to take dozens of readings along a mountain ridge at elevations of above 7,000 metres.
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