“巅峰使命”珠峰科考于2022年4月28日全面启动，第二次青藏科考队联合西藏登山队，组织了西风-季风协同作用、亚洲水塔变化、生态系统与生物多样性、人类活动变化、地球动力学勘测等5支科考分队的16个科考小组共270余名科考队员参与了此次活动。“巅峰使命”珠峰科考首次应用先进技术、方法和手段，创造了多项科学考察研究的世界纪录：在海拔8830米成功架设了世界上海拔最高的自动气象站，首次建成了梯度联网的巅峰站，实现了数据实时传输，成为地球之巅科学灯塔；首次利用高精度雷达测量了珠峰顶部的冰雪厚度并获得连续冰雪厚度剖面准确数据；首次取得海拔梯度间隔100米样品支撑的珠峰顶部冰雪样品；采用国内自主研发的先进仪器首次获得珠峰地区地面到上空39公里的臭氧浓度及温度、湿度、风速与风向的垂直变化；首次利用直升机观测拉萨-珠峰地区大气温室气体浓度；创造了浮空艇环境观测的9032米最高海拔世界纪录。“巅峰使命”珠峰科考是自2017年第二次青藏科考启动以来学科覆盖面最广、参加科考队员最多、采用的仪器设备最先进的综合性科考，是人类在珠峰地区开展极高海拔综合科学考察研究的一次壮举。
Chinese scientists break aerostat altitude record
The Jimu 1 aerostat is prepared for takeoff on Sunday in the Tibet autonomous region. SUN FEI/XINHUA
Chinese scientists launched the latest model of the Jimu 1 aerostat, a giant helium-filled tethered airship, on Sunday to collect weather data at a world-record altitude of 9,032 meters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
It was the first time an aerostat of its size had reached this height, surpassing even the summit of the 8,849-meter-tall Mount Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West.
Yao Tandong, the director of the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the feat represented an integration of frontier sciences with technological innovation, and would allow scientists to directly collect atmospheric data above an altitude of 9 kilometers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for the first time.
"These findings will contribute to the global effort in addressing climate change," he said.
The surface of the aircraft is made of advanced composite fabric that is lightweight, resistant to radiation and can withstand temperatures as low as -70 C. It has a volume of 9,060 cubic meters and weighs 2.6 metric tons, according to the institute.
The aerostat can carry numerous scientific instruments that enable scientists to collect atmospheric data and study the moisture transport process at extreme altitude. It can also track changes in black carbon, dust, methane, ozone, carbon dioxide and other substances in the air.
Researchers hope these data can yield important insights on how westerlies－winds that blow from west to east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees－affect the environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The Jimu 1 Model III is the latest and biggest of the three airships developed by Chinese scientists to collect atmospheric data and study the effects of climate change on the plateau. The first model was launched in 2019 and reached a height of 7,003 meters.
Source:https://enapp.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202205/16/AP6281a49fa3104446d8d18619.html