Bare Patches Created by Plateau Pikas Contribute to Warming Permafrost on the Tibet Plateau

Abstract Plateau pikas, small mammals native to the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP), create bare patches through burrowing. No previous assessment exists on their impact on permafrost. This study fills this gap by simulating hypothetical scenarios in the Three Rivers Headwaters Region of the QTP using t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Yuhong Chen, Zhuotong Nan, Shuping Zhao
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
plateau pikas
Qinghai‐Tibet plateau (QTP)
bare patches
scenario analysis
warming permafrost
Geophysics. Cosmic physics
QC801-809
permafrost
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108976
https://doaj.org/article/4a6c64abb5e0477d8515c136dbff234d
Description
Summary:Abstract Plateau pikas, small mammals native to the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP), create bare patches through burrowing. No previous assessment exists on their impact on permafrost. This study fills this gap by simulating hypothetical scenarios in the Three Rivers Headwaters Region of the QTP using the Noah‐MP model for the plant growing seasons during 2015–2018. Our findings reveal a significant increase in soil temperature in the active layer due to pika‐induced bare patches, particularly during July–August. The average temperature rise at 2.5 cm depth was 0.36°C in permafrost regions and 0.29°C in seasonally frozen ground regions during August. Minimal impact on unfrozen water content was observed, with a slight increase in deep soil layers in permafrost regions, and negligible in seasonally frozen areas. These findings underscore the previously unexplored influence of pika burrowing on permafrost temperature, suggesting a potential risk of accelerating permafrost degradation, especially in permafrost‐dominated regions.

Similar Items