Mount McKinley Measures 83 Feet Shorter than Official Height

Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America, is shorter than it was when previously measured, according to recently released data from a 2011 survey by the Alaska Mapping Executive Committee.

The mountain stands at 20,237 feet, which is 83 feet shorter than the measurement of 20,320 feet taken in the early 1952, the researchers reported.

It's likely that the mountain did not shrink, but that the technology used to measure the mountain today is better and more accurate than it was half a century ago, the BBC reported, adding that the US Geological Survey also said "climate differences" could have played a role in the new height measurements, likely referring to a difference in the level of snow that covers the mountain.

New measurements of Mt. McKinley come as the state of Alaska is attempting to attain better topographical records of its terrain. Some of its official records are as old as the state itself, dating back about half a century

Nicholas Mastrodicasa, Alaska's digital mapping project manager, told The Associated Press that topographic data is "is the most fundamental piece, of infrastructure that any state can own." Before the new mapping effort got underway, Mastrodicasa added, "Mars was better mapped than Alaska."

As part of the new mapping effort, airplanes were fitted with a system of sensors known as Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, a technology designed to digitally track small geographic forms, and flew over the Frontier State at 40,000 feet, sending down radar signals which collect elevation data.

Kari Craun of the US Geological Survey told the AP that the radar technology is advanced but it is intended to focus on surveying an area rather than a specific point. Regarding the height discrepancy, Craun said that more study would need to be done to fully understand the height discrepancy, "but the agency did not have plans to conduct another survey or officially change the height," the AP reported.

Mt. McKinley, known by locals as Denali, is a popular mountaineering destination in Denali National Park.