China begins land-atmosphere interaction experiment in Mount Qomolangma region

This photo taken on May 23, 2024 shows a view of the Mount Qomolangma at sunset in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China has officially begun an observation experiment on land-atmosphere interactions in the Mount Qomolangma region of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, according to the Aerospace Information Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences on Friday.

"The interaction between the land surface and the atmosphere is a crucial component of ecological and climate systems," said Jia Li, a researcher at the institute.

"In the Mount Qomolangma region, land-atmosphere interactions not only affect the climate of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and its surrounding areas, but also have the potential to influence the global climate through complex climate feedback mechanisms and atmospheric circulation," Jia said.

The research team will conduct the observational experiment using unmanned aerial platforms at a site on the northern side of Mount Qomolangma, situated at an average altitude of approximately 4,200 meters, according to the institute.

The researchers will collect spatial distribution data on moisture flux, latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, carbon flux and radiation flux between the land surface and the atmosphere.

They will also integrate ground-station and remote-sensing satellite data to conduct multi-temporal and multi-spatial comprehensive observations.