China has set up the world's highest automatic meteorological observation station at an elevation of 6,500 metres on Mount Everest [Images], the state media reported on Thursday.

The station, located at a narrow pass of Dongrongbu Glacier, will be used mainly for observing the condition of energy and materials conversion at high-elevation areas of the mountain, Jing Zhefan, an associate professor in charge of the project, said.

In 2001, Chinese scientists set up a meteorological observation centre at the same spot. The equipment and the data stored in it, however, have disappeared. To ensure normal operation of the station, some members of the team will keep watch till October. Data will be collected each April, Jing said.

Scientists will also conduct research on the impact of global warming on glaciers and make observations of atmospheric physics and chemistry, bio-diversity and environmental changes in the Himalayan region.