Evidence of Warming From Long-Term Records of Climate and Permafrost in the Hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is characterized by its extreme climate and dominated by periglacial processes. Permafrost conditions vary greatly, and the recent changes on the QTP are not well known in the hinterland. Here, we examine the changes in climate and permafrost temperatures in several d...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:6eed169fdb0240a9aef7bd39b10df308 2023-05-15T13:03:01+02:00 Evidence of Warming From Long-Term Records of Climate and Permafrost in the Hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Fujun Zhou Miaomiao Yao Xingwen Fan Guoan Yin Xianglian Meng Zhanju Lin 2022-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.836085 https://doaj.org/article/6eed169fdb0240a9aef7bd39b10df308 EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.836085/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-665X 2296-665X doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.836085 https://doaj.org/article/6eed169fdb0240a9aef7bd39b10df308 Frontiers in Environmental Science, Vol 10 (2022) climate change permafrost warming active-layer thickness ground temperature Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Environmental sciences GE1-350 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.836085 2022-12-31T04:08:26Z The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is characterized by its extreme climate and dominated by periglacial processes. Permafrost conditions vary greatly, and the recent changes on the QTP are not well known in the hinterland. Here, we examine the changes in climate and permafrost temperatures in several different regions. Climate data were obtained from three weather stations from 1957 to 2019. Annual mean air temperature (Ta) has gradually increased at .031°C/yr–.039°C/yr. Climate warming has been more rapid in the past two decades, particularly during the cold season (November to February). Precipitation has also been slowly increasing during the instrumental record. However, there is pronounced heterogeneity in the seasonal distribution of precipitation, with very little falling between October and April. Ground temperatures and active-layer thickness (ALT) have been investigated over ∼20 years at five sites representative of the hinterland of the QTP. These sites are located along the Qinghai–Tibet Highway, which crosses the permafrost zone and traverses the mountainous area and basin areas. Annual mean ground temperatures within the active layer (Tal ∼ 1 m depth) indicate recent ground warming at all sites, at rates near .05°C/yr. The ALT at five sites has been increasing steadily by 2–9 cm/yr, with an average of 4.6 cm/yr. The temperature near the permafrost table (Tps) has been increasing at .01°C/yr and .06°C/yr, with an average of .03°C/yr. Permafrost temperatures at 15 m depth (Tg) have been increasing by about .01°C/yr–.02°C/yr. The southern boundary (AD site) of the permafrost has warmed the least among the five locations. In high mountainous areas where permafrost temperatures are low (e.g., KLS site), the annual mean Tg has increased by nearly .02°C/yr. The rate of permafrost warming at a basin site (BLH), with relatively high ground temperatures, was approximately .01°C/yr. The GIPL2.0 model simulation results indicate that the annual mean permafrost temperature at 1 m depth at these sites will increase ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Active layer thickness permafrost Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Frontiers in Environmental Science 10 |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
climate change permafrost warming active-layer thickness ground temperature Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
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climate change permafrost warming active-layer thickness ground temperature Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Environmental sciences GE1-350 Fujun Zhou Miaomiao Yao Xingwen Fan Guoan Yin Xianglian Meng Zhanju Lin Evidence of Warming From Long-Term Records of Climate and Permafrost in the Hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
topic_facet |
climate change permafrost warming active-layer thickness ground temperature Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
description |
The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is characterized by its extreme climate and dominated by periglacial processes. Permafrost conditions vary greatly, and the recent changes on the QTP are not well known in the hinterland. Here, we examine the changes in climate and permafrost temperatures in several different regions. Climate data were obtained from three weather stations from 1957 to 2019. Annual mean air temperature (Ta) has gradually increased at .031°C/yr–.039°C/yr. Climate warming has been more rapid in the past two decades, particularly during the cold season (November to February). Precipitation has also been slowly increasing during the instrumental record. However, there is pronounced heterogeneity in the seasonal distribution of precipitation, with very little falling between October and April. Ground temperatures and active-layer thickness (ALT) have been investigated over ∼20 years at five sites representative of the hinterland of the QTP. These sites are located along the Qinghai–Tibet Highway, which crosses the permafrost zone and traverses the mountainous area and basin areas. Annual mean ground temperatures within the active layer (Tal ∼ 1 m depth) indicate recent ground warming at all sites, at rates near .05°C/yr. The ALT at five sites has been increasing steadily by 2–9 cm/yr, with an average of 4.6 cm/yr. The temperature near the permafrost table (Tps) has been increasing at .01°C/yr and .06°C/yr, with an average of .03°C/yr. Permafrost temperatures at 15 m depth (Tg) have been increasing by about .01°C/yr–.02°C/yr. The southern boundary (AD site) of the permafrost has warmed the least among the five locations. In high mountainous areas where permafrost temperatures are low (e.g., KLS site), the annual mean Tg has increased by nearly .02°C/yr. The rate of permafrost warming at a basin site (BLH), with relatively high ground temperatures, was approximately .01°C/yr. The GIPL2.0 model simulation results indicate that the annual mean permafrost temperature at 1 m depth at these sites will increase ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Fujun Zhou Miaomiao Yao Xingwen Fan Guoan Yin Xianglian Meng Zhanju Lin |
author_facet |
Fujun Zhou Miaomiao Yao Xingwen Fan Guoan Yin Xianglian Meng Zhanju Lin |
author_sort |
Fujun Zhou |
title |
Evidence of Warming From Long-Term Records of Climate and Permafrost in the Hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
title_short |
Evidence of Warming From Long-Term Records of Climate and Permafrost in the Hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
title_full |
Evidence of Warming From Long-Term Records of Climate and Permafrost in the Hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
title_fullStr |
Evidence of Warming From Long-Term Records of Climate and Permafrost in the Hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evidence of Warming From Long-Term Records of Climate and Permafrost in the Hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
title_sort |
evidence of warming from long-term records of climate and permafrost in the hinterland of the qinghai–tibet plateau |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.836085 https://doaj.org/article/6eed169fdb0240a9aef7bd39b10df308 |
genre |
Active layer thickness permafrost |
genre_facet |
Active layer thickness permafrost |
op_source |
Frontiers in Environmental Science, Vol 10 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.836085/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-665X 2296-665X doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.836085 https://doaj.org/article/6eed169fdb0240a9aef7bd39b10df308 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.836085 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Environmental Science |
container_volume |
10 |
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1766326577036001280 |