Temporal and spatial variations of the active layer along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway in a permafrost region

Ren, Li; Zhao, Lin; Ding, Yongjian; Wu, Tonghua; Xiao, Yao; Du, Erji; Liu, Guangyue; Qiao, Yongping

doi:10.1007/s11434-012-5323-8

Cited by 147 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…In comparison, mean APT beneath embankments in alpine meadow between 2002 (1995 at FHH1) and 2014 ranged from 3.39 at BLR3 to 8.43 m at KXH1, with an average of 4.86 m, resulting in a difference of mean APT between alpine meadow and steppe of 2.2 m. This difference is similar to results below natural surfaces in alpine meadow and alpine steppe (Wu et al, 2010c;Zhao et al, 2010;Li et al, 2012). For alpine meadow, mean APT beneath QTH embankments (6.47 m) was larger than that beneath QTR embankments (3.65 m).…”

Section: Change In Apt Beneath Embankmentssupporting

confidence: 63%

Thermal impacts of engineering activities and vegetation layer on permafrost in different alpine ecosystems of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

Zhang

Gao

et al. 2016

The Cryosphere

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Abstract. Climate warming and engineering activities have various impacts on the thermal regime of permafrost in alpine ecosystems of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Using recent observations of permafrost thermal regimes along the QinghaiTibet highway and railway, the changes of such regimes beneath embankments constructed in alpine meadows and steppes are studied. The results show that alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau can have a controlling role among engineering construction effects on permafrost beneath embankments. As before railway construction, the artificial permafrost table (APT) beneath embankments is not only affected by climate change and engineering activities but is also controlled by alpine ecosystems. However, the change rate of APT is not dependent on ecosystem type, which is predominantly affected by climate change and engineering activities. Instead, the rate is mainly related to cooling effects of railway ballast and heat absorption effects of asphalt pavement. No large difference between alpine and steppe can be identified regarding the variation of soil temperature beneath embankments, but this difference is readily identified in the variation of mean annual soil temperature with depth. The vegetation layer in alpine meadows has an insulation role among engineering activity effects on permafrost beneath embankments, but this insulation gradually disappears because the layer decays and compresses over time. On the whole, this layer is advantageous for alleviating permafrost temperature rise in the short term, but its effect gradually weakens in the long term.

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Section: Change In Apt Beneath Embankmentssupporting

confidence: 63%

Thermal impacts of engineering activities and vegetation layer on permafrost in different alpine ecosystems of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

Zhang

Gao

et al. 2016

The Cryosphere

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“…Based on monitoring results extended by a freezing-thawing index model, the average increase of ALT was about 1.33 cm yr −1 from 1981 to 2010 along the Qinghai-Xizang Highway . The monitored average increase of ALT was about 13 cm higher from 2011 to 2014 than that from 2000 to 2010 (modified after Li et al 2012 based on new data). In Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica, ALT has been increasing in recent years, mainly as a result of solar radiation increase (Guglielmin and Cannone 2012).…”

Section: S17mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The duration of lake ice in particular controls the seasonal heat budget of lake systems and thus determines the magnitude and timing of evaporation. The presence (or absence) of ice cover on lakes during the winter months also affects both regional climate and weather events, for example, by thermal moderation and lake-effect snow (Kheyrollah Pour et al 2012;Zhao et al 2012).…”

Section: Medea and Arctic Sea Icementioning

confidence: 99%

State of the Climate in 2014

Aaron-Morrison¹,

Ackerman²,

Adams³

et al. 2015

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

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“…Permafrost in China was mainly found on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), the largest lower latitude permafrost region (1.05 × 10 6 km 2 ) in the world. Warming of permafrost during the last decades was well documented along the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC) [5][6][7][8]. Changes in the active layer thickness and permafrost temperature due to climate warming and surface disturbances have major ecological and engineering implications [8][9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Permafrost Distribution along the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor, China Using High-Resolution Statistical Mapping and Modeling Integrated with Remote Sensing and GIS

et al. 2018

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Permafrost distribution in the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC) is of growing interest due to the increase in infrastructure development in this remote area. Empirical models of mountain permafrost distribution have been established based on field sampled data, as a tool for regional-scale assessments of its distribution. This kind of model approach has never been applied for a large portion of this engineering corridor. In the present study, this methodology is applied to map permafrost distribution throughout the QTEC. After spatial modelling of the mean annual air temperature distribution from MODIS-LST and DEM, using high-resolution satellite image to interpret land surface type, a permafrost probability index was obtained. The evaluation results indicate that the model has an acceptable performance. Conditions highly favorable to permafrost presence (≥70%) are predicted for 60.3% of the study area, declaring a discontinuous permafrost distribution in the QTEC. This map is useful for the infrastructure development along the QTEC. In the future, local ground-truth observations will be required to confirm permafrost presence in favorable areas and to monitor permafrost evolution under the influence of climate change.

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Temporal and spatial variations of the active layer along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway in a permafrost region

Cited by 147 publications

References 19 publications

Thermal impacts of engineering activities and vegetation layer on permafrost in different alpine ecosystems of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

Thermal impacts of engineering activities and vegetation layer on permafrost in different alpine ecosystems of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

State of the Climate in 2014

Permafrost Distribution along the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor, China Using High-Resolution Statistical Mapping and Modeling Integrated with Remote Sensing and GIS

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