They used ground-penetrating radar to take dozens of readings along a mountain ridge at elevations of above 7,000 metres.
The readings showed a strong difference between the snow and rock surface, allowing the team to determine the boundary between the two materials.
In all, 26 of the measuring points concentrated at the summit showed the snow to be at average depth of around 9.5 metres, the report said, adding that the results were within a range of plus or minus 1.2 metres.
“Such homogeneity not only indicates the reliability of repeated radar measurements within this limited area but also provides insights into the relatively flat topography along the ridge of Mount Everest,” they said in the paper.
Yang said previous measurement efforts were limited by factors such as “snow density, [measuring] stake length and high-altitude challenges”.
In the paper, the researchers said comparisons of snow depth during different periods could be helpful in understanding the influence of human-induced climate change at extremely high elevations in the Himalayas.
“The snow and glaciers on Mount Everest are the sentinels for climate change and therefore offer a potential natural platform for understanding ongoing climate change at such extremely high elevations and their possible widespread influence on the Asian Water Tower,” they said.
They said snow core drilling and more ground-penetrating radar measurements on Mount Everest were needed to understand how the snow was changing.
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