Environmental conditions at the South Col of Mount Everest and their impact on hypoxia and hypothermia experienced by mountaineers

Abstract

Background: Hypoxia and hypothermia are acknowledged risk factors for those who venture into high-altitude regions. There is, however, little in situ data that can be used to quantify these risks. Here, we use 7 months of continuous meteorological data collected at the South Col of Mount Everest (elevation 7,896 m above sea level) to provide the first in situ characterization of these risks near the summit of Mount Everest. Methods: This is accomplished through the analysis of barometric pressure, temperature and wind speed data collected by an automatic weather station installed at the South Col. These data were also used as inputs to parameterizations of wind chill equivalent temperature (WCT) and facial frostbite time (FFT). Results: The meteorological data show clear evidence of seasonality, with evidence of pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon conditions. Low pressures, cold temperatures and high wind speeds characterize the pre- and post-monsoon periods with significant variability associated with the passage of large-scale weather systems. In contrast, the monsoon period is characterized by higher pressures, warmer temperatures and lower wind speeds with a pronounced reduction in variability. These environmental conditions are reflected in WCTs as low as -50°C and FFTs as short as 2 min during the pre- and post-monsoon periods. During the monsoon, the risk of cold injury is reduced with WCTs of order -20°C and FFTs longer than 60 min. The daily cycle in the various parameters is also investigated in order to assess the changes in conditions that would be experienced during a typical summit day. The post-monsoon period in particular shows a muted daily cycle in most parameters that is proposed to be the result of the random timing of large-scale weather systems. Conclusions: Our results provide the first in situ characterization of the risk of hypoxia and hypothermia on Mount Everest on daily, weekly and seasonal timescales, and provide additional confirmation as to the extreme environment experienced by those attempting to summit Mount Everest and other high Himalayan mountains. © 2012 Moore et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.