Dynamics of seasonally frozen ground in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: historical trend and future projection
Seasonally frozen ground (SFG) is a critical component of the Earth’s surface that affects energy exchange and the water cycle in cold regions. The estimation of SFG depth has generally required intensive parameterization which has limited estimates in data-scarce regions such as the Qinghai-Tibet P...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abb731 |
| _version_ | 1797747798374875136 |
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| author | Fang Ji Linfeng Fan Charles B Andrews Yingying Yao Chunmiao Zheng |
| author_facet | Fang Ji Linfeng Fan Charles B Andrews Yingying Yao Chunmiao Zheng |
| author_sort | Fang Ji |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Seasonally frozen ground (SFG) is a critical component of the Earth’s surface that affects energy exchange and the water cycle in cold regions. The estimation of SFG depth has generally required intensive parameterization which has limited estimates in data-scarce regions such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). We propose a simple yet robust modeling framework employing ground surface temperatures as major model inputs to assess the spatiotemporal patterns of the SFG depth in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin (YZRB) on the QTP. The model was calibrated using SFG depth measurements throughout the YZRB from 1980 to 2010. Results suggest that the SFG depth in the YZRB has decreased at a rate of 2.50 cm · a ^−1 from 1980 to 2010. Future projections indicate that the SFG depth in the YZRB will continue to decrease in response to future warming. The present SFG may no longer exist by 2180 under the RCP 8.5 scenario (if not considering the transition of permafrost to SFG). The proposed modeling framework provides an important basis for the evaluation of the hydrological cycles (e.g. surface water-groundwater interactions) in cold regions under changing climatic conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:55:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-75e409ed3e594c3eb0b7afe18d04a940 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:55:46Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-75e409ed3e594c3eb0b7afe18d04a9402023-08-09T14:55:30ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262020-01-01151010408110.1088/1748-9326/abb731Dynamics of seasonally frozen ground in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: historical trend and future projectionFang Ji0Linfeng Fan1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5776-1738Charles B Andrews2Yingying Yao3Chunmiao Zheng4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5839-1305School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin, People’s Republic of China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; S. S. Papadopulos and Associates, Inc. , Bethesda, MD, United States of AmericaDepartment of Earth and Environmental Science, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University , Xi’an, People’s Republic of ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaSeasonally frozen ground (SFG) is a critical component of the Earth’s surface that affects energy exchange and the water cycle in cold regions. The estimation of SFG depth has generally required intensive parameterization which has limited estimates in data-scarce regions such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). We propose a simple yet robust modeling framework employing ground surface temperatures as major model inputs to assess the spatiotemporal patterns of the SFG depth in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin (YZRB) on the QTP. The model was calibrated using SFG depth measurements throughout the YZRB from 1980 to 2010. Results suggest that the SFG depth in the YZRB has decreased at a rate of 2.50 cm · a ^−1 from 1980 to 2010. Future projections indicate that the SFG depth in the YZRB will continue to decrease in response to future warming. The present SFG may no longer exist by 2180 under the RCP 8.5 scenario (if not considering the transition of permafrost to SFG). The proposed modeling framework provides an important basis for the evaluation of the hydrological cycles (e.g. surface water-groundwater interactions) in cold regions under changing climatic conditions.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abb731seasonally frozen groundground temperatureclimate changeYarlung Zangbo River BasinQinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| spellingShingle | Fang Ji Linfeng Fan Charles B Andrews Yingying Yao Chunmiao Zheng Dynamics of seasonally frozen ground in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: historical trend and future projection Environmental Research Letters seasonally frozen ground ground temperature climate change Yarlung Zangbo River Basin Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title | Dynamics of seasonally frozen ground in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: historical trend and future projection |
| title_full | Dynamics of seasonally frozen ground in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: historical trend and future projection |
| title_fullStr | Dynamics of seasonally frozen ground in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: historical trend and future projection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamics of seasonally frozen ground in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: historical trend and future projection |
| title_short | Dynamics of seasonally frozen ground in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: historical trend and future projection |
| title_sort | dynamics of seasonally frozen ground in the yarlung zangbo river basin on the qinghai tibet plateau historical trend and future projection |
| topic | seasonally frozen ground ground temperature climate change Yarlung Zangbo River Basin Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abb731 |
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