Significantly adding to data availability, the world’s highest automatic weather stations were installed on Mount Everest during the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition. We were among the partners there and in an associated range of scientific efforts including work on the highest glacier in world, Khumbu glacier, where ice samples were collected and multiple scientific research projects were conducted. We contributed to the NGS comprehensive map of Asia’s vital rivers building on scientific work to develop the first ever Water Tower Index. This collaboration with NGS complements our long-term effort of bringing much-needed focus to climate change issues facing our region.

Based on the data and information from the expedition, multiple academic papers will be published, the July issue of National Geographic Magazine featured the expedition and the National Geographic TV Channel features aspects of the expedition. In addition, footage and photographs from the expedition are also being used to create educational materials, where ICIMOD researchers are featured explaining AWS networks and how mapping helps us understand glacier and other natural changes in the region.