Brief communication: How deep is the snow on Mount Everest?

Abstract

Exploring the snow depth on Mount Everest, one of the most inaccessible places on our planet, has long been a topic of interest. Previously reported snow depths have been inconsistent and have large uncertainties. Here, we report the ground-penetrating radar survey of snow depth along the north slope of Mount Everest in May 2022. Our radar measurements display a gradual increasing transition of snow depth along the north slope, and the mean depth estimates at the summit are 9.5±1.2 m. This updated snow depth on Mount Everest is much deeper than previously reported values (0.9–3.5 m).