Modeling experiments on seasonal lake ice mass and energy balance in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: a case study

The lake-rich Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) has significant impacts on regional and global water cycles and monsoon systems through heat and water vapor exchange. The lake–atmosphere interactions have been quantified over open-water periods, yet little is known about the lake ice thermodynamics and heat and mass balance during the ice-covered season due to a lack of field data. In this study, a high-resolution thermodynamic ice model was applied in experiments of lake ice evolution and energy balance of a shallow lake in the QTP. Basal growth and melt dominated the seasonal evolution of lake ice, but surface sublimation was also crucial for ice loss, accounting for up to 40&thinsp;% of the maximum ice thickness. Sublimation was also responsible for 41&thinsp;% of the lake water loss during the ice-covered period. Simulation results matched the observations well with respect to ice mass balance components, ice thickness, and ice temperature. Strong solar radiation, negative air temperature, low air moisture, and prevailing strong winds were the major driving forces controlling the seasonal ice mass balance. The energy balance was estimated at the ice surface and bottom, and within the ice interior and under-ice water. Particularly, almost all heat fluxes showed significant diurnal variations including incoming, absorbed, and penetrated solar radiation, long-wave radiation, turbulent air–ice heat fluxes, and basal ice–water heat fluxes. The calculated ice surface temperature indicated that the atmospheric boundary layer stratification was consistently stable or neutral throughout the ice-covered period. The turbulent air–ice heat fluxes and the net heat gain by the lake were much lower than those during the open-water period.</p

Response of freezing/thawing indexes to the wetting trend under warming climate conditions over the Qinghai -Tibetan Plateau during 1961–2010: A numerical simulation

Since the 1990s, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has experienced a strikingly warming and wetter climate that alters the thermal and hydrological properties of frozen ground. A positive correlation between the warming and thermal degradation in permafrost or seasonally frozen ground (SFG) has long been recognized. Still, a predictive relationship between historical wetting under warming climate conditions and frozen ground has not yet been well demonstrated, despite the expectation that it will become even more important because precipitation over the QTP has been projected to increase continuously in the near future. This study investigates the response of the thermal regime to historical wetting in both permafrost and SFG areas and examines their relationships separately using the Community Land Surface Model version 4.5. Results show that wetting before the 1990s across the QTP mainly cooled the permafrost body in the arid and semiarid zones, with significant correlation coefficients of 0.60 and 0.48, respectively. Precipitation increased continually at the rate of 6.16 mm decade−1 in the arid zone after the 1990s but had a contrasting warming effect on permafrost through a significant shortening of the thawing duration within the active layer. However, diminished rainfall in the humid zone after the 1990s also significantly extended the thawing duration of SFG. The relationship between the ground thawing index and precipitation was significantly negatively correlated (−0.75). The dual effects of wetting on the thermal dynamics of the QTP are becoming critical because of the projected increases in future precipitation. © 2023, The Author(s)

Climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in High Mountain Asia: a comprehensive review

Changing climatic conditions in High Mountain Asia (HMA), especially regional warming and changing precipitation patterns, have led to notable effects on mountain permafrost. Comprehensive knowledge of mountain permafrost in HMA is mostly limited to the mountains of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with a strong cluster of research activity related to critical infrastructure providing a basis for related climate adaptation measures. Insights related to the extent and changing characteristics of permafrost in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), are much more limited. This study provides the first comprehensive review of peer-reviewed journal articles, focused on hydrological, ecological, and geomorphic impacts associated with thawing permafrost in HMA, as well as those examining adaptations to changes in mountain permafrost. Studies reveal a clear warming trend across the region, likely resulting in increased landslide activity, effects on streamflow, soil saturation and subsequent vegetation change. Adaptation strategies have been documented only around infrastructure megaprojects as well as animal herding in China. While available research provides important insight that can inform planning in the region, we also identify a need for further research in the areas of hazards related to changing permafrost as well as its effect on ecosystems and subsequently livelihoods. We suggest that future planning of infrastructure in HMA can rely on extrapolation of already existing knowledge within the region to reduce risks associated with warming permafrost. We highlight key research gaps as well as specific areas where insights are limited. These are areas where additional support from governments and funders is urgently needed to enhance regional collaboration to sufficiently understand and effectively respond to permafrost change in the HKH region

Warming-driven erosion and sediment transport in cold regions

We synthesized a global inventory of cryosphere degradation-driven increases in erosion and sediment yield, e.g., suspended load, bedload, particulate organic carbon, and riverbank/slope erosion. This inventory includes 76 locations from the high Arctic, European mountains, High Mountain Asia and Andes, and 18 Arctic permafrost-coastal sites, and they were collected from ~80 studies

Energy efficiency of underground structures in harsh climatic conditions

The object of the study is an underground structure located in a region with a harsh climate. The place-ment of structures in the underground space solves the urgent problem of reducing the heating cost for buildings and structures in the northern regions. The paper proposes ways to improve the energy effi-ciency of underground structures through the choice of the structural characteristics of such structures by the criterion of minimum heat loss. The method for calculating heat energy losses through external enclosing structures is based on determining the temperature fields in the ground mass adjacent to the structure throughout the year. The temperature in the ground is determined by solving the non-stationary heat conduction problem. The results of the step-by-step solution of the heat transfer problem in the form of temperature fields are used further to calculate heat losses at specified time intervals. The re-sults of determination of the influence of thermal insulation, the depth of the object relative to the ground surface and the temperature of the internal air on heat loss are presented. The analysis of the presented results makes it possible to make the correct choice of the design parameters of the designed under-ground facilities in various climatic conditions

Response of Inland Lakes to Climate Change across the Tibetan Plateau Investigated Using Landsat and ICESat Data

The Tibetan Plateau experienced tremendous climate change during the past four decades. Due to the large size, widely distribution of cryosphere, and diverse landforms, different parts of the plateau may experience different climate and cryosphere changing patterns. The changes of inland lakes within the plateau are important indicators of climate change as these lakes are fed by precipitation, permafrost degradation, and glacier melting that are all sensitive to climate change. To examine the spatial and temporal differences of lake variations across the Tibetan Plateau, Landsat images and ICESat/GLAS altimetry data were used to extract the changes in surface areas of 26 lakes selected from six different sub-regions during the 1970s-2010 and the changes in lake elevations of these lakes during 2003-2009. An automated model to extract lake surface area and elevation from Landsat and ICESat data is developed to improve the efficiency of processing the large amount of satellite data. By applying this model, the spatial and temporal changing patterns of selected 26 inland lakes across the Tibetan Plateau during the past four decades are revealed. The lakes from different parts of the Tibetan Plateau show different changing patterns. The lake expansion firstly started from the Central Tibetan Plateau in the 1980s, then moving northward and northwestward; the Northeastern and Northwestern Tibetan Plateau experienced obvious expansion after the late 1990s, and this expansion is still continuing in the northern part, whereas the rapid lake expansion either slowed down or stopped in the central and southern parts of the plateau. The differences in lake changing pattern are caused by diverse climatic regimes and the pattern of the cryospheric distribution in the Tibetan Plateau. For the southern part of the plateau, the change in precipitation and evaporation seems to be the dominating factor to control the lake changes; however, the cryospheric change caused by temperature increase is the most important factor influencing the lake fluctuations in the northern part. These patterns can provide insight into the mechanism of lakes dynamics in response to climate and cryospheric changes; and be applied to assess the potential impacts of climate change on water resources in the Tibetan Plateau

Review article: Inferring permafrost and permafrost thaw in the mountains of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region

The cryosphere reacts sensitively to climate change, as evidenced by the widespread retreat of mountain glaciers. Subsurface ice contained in permafrost is similarly affected by climate change, causing persistent impacts on natural and human systems. In contrast to glaciers, permafrost is not observable spatially and therefore its presence and possible changes are frequently overlooked. Correspondingly, little is known about permafrost in the mountains of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, despite permafrost area exceeding that of glaciers in nearly all countries. Based on evidence and insight gained mostly in other permafrost areas globally, this review provides a synopsis on what is known or can be inferred about permafrost in the mountains of the HKH region. Given the extreme nature of the environment concerned, it is to be expected that the diversity of conditions and phenomena encountered in permafrost exceed what has previously been described and investigated. We further argue that climate change in concert with increasing development will bring about diverse permafrost-related impacts on vegetation, water quality, geohazards, and livelihoods. To better anticipate and mitigate these effects, a deepened understanding of high-elevation permafrost in subtropical latitudes as well as the pathways interconnecting environmental changes and human livelihoods are needed