The southern face of Mount Everest from Napal.
SHANGHAI, CHINA - China is sending a team of scientists to re-measure Mount Everest because they fear climate change is causing the world's highest peak to shrink.
The snow-covered mountain top is believed to have declined by 1.3 metres to 8,848 metres, according to state media reports.
Mount Everest straddles the border between China and Nepal, and its height has been controversial.
The country last surveyed the mountain in 1975, China Daily reported.
Geographers will set out on an expedition in March, using radar and global positioning equipment to re-measure the peak, called Mount Qomolangma in Chinese.
Officials are worried the snow and ice at the top are melting because of global climate change. Nepalese Sherpas have reported seeing signs of receding snowlines as temperatures warmed.
In 1999, researchers in the U.S. calculated the height of Mount Everest to be 8,850 metres.
Scientists say glaciers on other mountains around the world are melting, including Alberta's Peyto Glacier.
