China now thinks Everest, the world's highest peak, is about 3,7m shorter than its own past estimates after conducting a new survey of the mountain this year. Chen Bangzhu, the Director General of the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, told a news conference on Sunday that Mount Everest stood 8 844,43m above sea level, with a margin of error of about 0,21m.
Chinese mountaineers and researchers climbed to the top of Mount Everest in May to determine whether the world's tallest mountain was still growing. Chen said that the updated figure did not mean the mountain had shrunk over time.
"The data is so far the most detailed and precise among (those from) all previous surveys," he said.
"We cannot arrive at the conclusion now that Everest has become shorter, because there have been problems ... of surveying technology with previous measurements."
Chinese mountaineers and researchers climbed to the top of Mount Everest in May to determine whether the world's tallest mountain was still growing. Chen said that the updated figure did not mean the mountain had shrunk over time.
"The data is so far the most detailed and precise among (those from) all previous surveys," he said.
"We cannot arrive at the conclusion now that Everest has become shorter, because there have been problems ... of surveying technology with previous measurements."
In 1975, Chinese scientists measured the height of Everest at 8 848,13m, a few centimetres more than an Indian survey had found in the 1950s.
Then in 1999, an American team measured the mountain at 8 850m.
Growing or not, Everest is changing in other ways. Official Chinese media have reported that its glaciers are shrinking faster than ever because of global warming.
Then in 1999, an American team measured the mountain at 8 850m.
Growing or not, Everest is changing in other ways. Official Chinese media have reported that its glaciers are shrinking faster than ever because of global warming.
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