Chinese team makes breakthrough in observing vertical ozone distribution over Mount Qomolangma

SHENZHEN -- A joint Chinese scientific expedition team has successfully measured vertical ozone distribution data from the ground up to an altitude of 8,861 meters above sea level in the Mount Qomolangma area.

Using the latest vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing hybrid drone, the joint team from the Peking University (PKU) and Chinese Academy of Sciences also fully captured the entire process of downward ozone transport driven by glacier winds. These achievements have added a crucial piece of observational evidence to the study of high-concentration ozone and its changing trends over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in western China.

The joint team conducted 12 days of field operations on the northern slope of Mount Qomolangma, completing 32 effective flight sorties, said Ye Chunxiang, an associate professor at the PKU and a member of the joint team. The drone twice surpassed the 8,848-meter elevation mark, with one flight reaching a stable altitude of 8,861 meters while carrying a payload.

The trend of ozone change serves as one of the key indicators of atmospheric environmental evolution. With its clean atmospheric background, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is considered a natural laboratory for capturing the patterns of atmospheric environmental evolution over the Eurasian continent.

In previous studies, researchers observed that glacier winds could transport ozone from the upper atmosphere down to the Earth's surface. However, systematic and direct observational data had remained lacking regarding the spatial extent of glacier winds and the associated ozone flux they carry, a gap partly attributable to equipment limitations.

The joint team and Chinese drone giant DJI jointly tackled key technical challenges to optimize the performance of the vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing hybrid drone.

By further integrating the advantages of both multi-rotor and fixed-wing drones, they resolved the shortcomings of existing drones that rendered them unsuitable for high-altitude scientific research. These improvements have ensured the authenticity and representativeness of the observational data obtained at the extreme altitude of 8,861 meters.

According to Zhou Yanxi, delivery product manager at DJI, engineers also made improvements to the drone in response to the extreme conditions encountered in the Mount Qomolangma area, including thin air, large temperature differentials and strong turbulent wind fields.

DJI pledged to continue optimizing the payload adaptability and real-time data transmission capabilities of drones, so as to facilitate further breakthrough progress in atmospheric observation at extreme altitudes.