Published by May 23

This is the second measurement endeavor taken by the Chinese over the past three decades.

The first measurement done by Chinese in 1975 reported the height of the world's top mountain at 8,848.13 meters above sea level.

The 24-member team spent 77 minutes on the top of the peak, erecting a 2.5-meter-long survey beacon and establishing a GPS monitoring station there for height measurement in the next two days and in the future.

The researchers and mountaineers also used a radar device to detect the thickness of the snow and ice coat of Mount Qomolangma, which straddles the border between China and Nepal.

The final result of the current measurement will exclude the thickness of ice and snowcapping the peak.

The GPS and radar device, used for the first time by Chinese surveyors, are for a more precise result.

The traditional trigonometric leveling method, which was used in the 1975 expedition, however, is still used in this mission for results comparison.

This final maneuver was postponed several times from the original planned date of May 5 to May 22 due to bad weather conditions.

The ongoing survey is part of China's fourth large-scale comprehensive scientific survey on Qomolangma, jointly organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, and the government of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Scientists will also conduct research on the impact of global warming on glaciers and make observations of atmospheric physics and chemistry, bio-diversity and environmental changes in the Himalayan region.

A monument will be erected at the mountain's base camp to mark the current measurement efforts.

The final result is expected to be announced in August.