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Historical changes in the depth of seasonal freezing of “Xing’anling-Baikal” permafrost in China

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Abstract

“Xing’anling-Baikal” permafrost is located in the southern edge of the Northern Hemisphere permafrost, which is one of the most important regions of permafrost changes. Based on the monthly meteorological data and circumpolar active layer monitoring data in the last few decades, we analyzed the changes in the depth of seasonal freezing (DSF) and the thermal regime of Xing’anling-Baikal permafrost in China, and compared the state with that of the permafrost in Mongolia at the same latitude (LAT). The “Xing’anling-Baikal” permafrost in China was not connected in the section. The DSF changed between 0.78 and 3.25 m. In the study area, DSF was the thickest in Tulihe and reduced to around. The change rate reached − 16.0–4.9 cm/a and decreased in most areas. The ground temperature raised at a rate of 0–0.41 °C/a, whereas that of other few areas decreased with a rate of − 0.35 °C/a. Freezing duration spanned 141–176 days. The changes were related to air temperature, altitude, LAT, and precipitation in the local area. Compared with the state of permafrost in Mongolia at the same LAT, the permafrost in China exhibited a faster rate of degradation. The permafrost in the Xing’anling area significantly responded to climate change. The results will aid in understanding the temporal and spatial variation in local permafrost and provide relevant verification for regional permafrost.

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Acknowledgments

We express our sincerest gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for providing us constructive and insightful comments and suggestions. We also thank the Natural Science Foundation of China (41771074, 41690144, and 41771078). The Major Program of Bureau of International Cooperation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (131B62KYSB20170012).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, No. 320, Donggangxi Road, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Zhongqiong Zhang, Qingbai Wu & Siru Gao

  2. China Meteorological Administration Training Centre, No. 46, Zhongguancun Nandajie, Haidian District, Beijing, 100081, China

    Meiting Hou

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  1. Zhongqiong Zhang
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Correspondence to Zhongqiong Zhang.

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Zhang, Z., Hou, M., Wu, Q. et al. Historical changes in the depth of seasonal freezing of “Xing’anling-Baikal” permafrost in China. Reg Environ Change 19, 451–460 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-018-1407-6

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