LHASA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Six automatic meteorological observation stations have been set up on Mount Qomolangma, the world's tallest, to secure a successful Olympic torch relay, the local meteorological bureau in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region said on Wednesday.

    Located at six positions starting at the Base Camp at 5,200 meters to an elevation of 6,200 meters above sea-level, the observation stations will for the first time form an all-round network to collect and read meteorological data and forecast weather on Mount Qomolangma, said Wu Shihong, an official with Tibet Meteorological Bureau.

    The observatories will provide updates every hour and summaries are available every 15 or 30 minutes. Four of the six observatories are already in operation, according to Wu.

    "The data will be crucial for us to know weather changes during a specific period of time, and the observatories will provide concrete statistics to ensure a successful Olympic torch relay across Mount Qomolangma in the buildup to the 2008 Beijing Games," Wu said.

    Organizers of the Beijing Games have revealed ambitious plans for the longest torch relay in Olympic history -- a 137,000-kilometer, 130-day route that would cross five continents and scale the world's summit, which straddles the border between China and Nepal.

    In addition to the Olympic service, Wu said, the observatories are also expected to help study long-term climate change in the area under the context of global warming.

    Tibet experienced its third warm winter in the last seven years between December 2006 and February 2007, with a temperature rise of nine degrees in some areas, according to the regional meteorological bureau.

    Global warming has led to the acceleration of glacial melt in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, dubbed the "Roof of the World".

    The plateau, regarded as a barometer for the world's climatic conditions, has seen its glaciers melt at an annual average rate of 131.4 square kilometers over the past three decades, scientists said.

    They also warned that Mount Qomolangma will eventually become naked without the cover of snow and ice if global warming continues to melt the glaciers in the plateau.

    A Chinese survey in 2005 found Mount Qomolangma, known to westerners as Mount Everest, stands 8844.43 meters above sea level.