Feature: The "treasure hunters" of the Everest expedition

Xinhua News Agency, Lhasa, May 6, Title: Feature: "Treasure Hunters" on the Everest Expedition

Xinhua News Agency reporters Tian Jinwen, Bai Shaobo and Li Jian

In early May, there were frequent snowstorms at the foot of Mount Everest. A group of "treasure hunters" came to the base camp at an altitude of 5,200 meters. Every morning, they set out from their tents, carrying shovels, pickaxes, and containers of various sizes, and walked towards glaciers, wilderness, and rivers to look for invisible "treasures".

The "Peak Mission" expedition to Mount Everest is underway, and this team of "treasure hunters" is from the Pan-Third Pole Environmental Center of Lanzhou University. As the glacier microbiology expedition team of this expedition to Mount Everest, they are responsible for collecting microbial samples that are invisible to the naked eye and analyzing the ecological environment in the Mount Everest area.

Researchers collect soil samples in the Mount Everest area (photo taken on April 30). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Danzeng Nima Quzhu

"Our work looks like 'treasure hunting'," said Wang Wenqiang, a member of the expedition team and a doctoral student at Lanzhou University. They need to collect microbial samples from different environments such as ice, snow, atmosphere, soil, runoff, lakes, etc. at different altitudes on Mount Everest.

The team members, wearing red jackets, thick hats and gloves, walked out of the tent, exhaled white air, and started a day's work. From 5,200 meters to 6,500 meters above sea level, there were members of this scientific expedition team.

The Everest region is high in cold and oxygen-deficient. Although it is summer, the river water from the glacier meltwater is still freezing cold. To collect water samples in the river, you need to put the container into the river one day in advance and wait for a day before taking it out to complete sampling and water monitoring. Researcher Zhang Weizhen, who led the team to collect water samples in the East Rongbuk Glacier area, told reporters that the collected water samples must be shaded as soon as possible, otherwise the work will be in vain once the sun shines on them.

In the East Rongbuk Glacier area, researchers are collecting water samples for microbial indicators (photo taken on April 30). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Danzeng Nima Quzhu

The weather in the Everest region is ever-changing. Every day, the expedition team members have to get up early and go out in the cold wind to collect samples. For lunch, they simply eat bread and biscuits prepared in advance, and return to the Everest Base Camp until dark.

When the night was quiet at the base camp, they were still busy processing the samples they had collected. Liu Yang, a member of the expedition team, said: "We need to complete the filtration and fixation of bacteria, viruses and other organisms in the water samples within 48 hours."

Researchers are extracting microorganisms from glacial meltwater (photo taken on April 30). Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fei

"If not fixed in time, the microbial community structure and viral characteristics in the water body will change greatly, affecting the experimental results." Liu Yang told reporters.

"Our team focuses on the measurement of microbial primary productivity, and will obtain first-hand data on the primary productivity of Mount Everest glacier runoff, which is of great significance for evaluating the carbon sink potential of Mount Everest runoff," said Zhang Weizhen.

According to the survey plan, the glacier microbiology scientific expedition team is expected to complete the survey mission around May 20, and the wonderful world of Mount Everest glacier microorganisms will soon be unveiled by "treasure hunters".

Editor-in-charge: Qiu Lifang