Characteristics of permafrost along Highway G214 in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract

The characteristics of the permafrost along National Highway No. 214 (G214) in Qinghai province (between kilometer markers K310 and K670), including the distribution patterns of permafrost and seasonally frozen ground (SFG), ground ice content and mean annual ground temperature (MAGT), were analyzed using a large quantity of drilling and measured ground temperature data. Three topographic units can be distinguished along the highway: the northern mountains, including Ela Mountain and Longstone Mountain; the medial alluvial plain and the southern Bayan Har Mountains. The horizontal distribution patterns of permafrost can be divided into four sections, from north to south: the northern continuous permafrost zone (K310-K460), the island permafrost zone (K460-K560), the southern continuous permafrost zone (K560-K630), and the discontinuous permafrost zone (K630-K670). Vertically, the permafrost lower limits (PLLs) of the discontinuous zone were 4200/4325 m, 4230/4350 m, and 4350/4450 m on the north-facing/south-facing slopes of Ela Mountain, Longstone Mountain and Bayan Har Mountains, respectively. The permafrost was generally warm, with MAGTs between –1.0°C and 0°C in the northern continuous permafrost zone, approximately –0.5°C in the island permafrost zone, between –1.5°C and 0°C in the southern continuous permafrost zone, and higher than –0.5°C in the discontinuous permafrost zone. In contrast, the spatial variations in ground ice content were mainly controlled by the local soil water content and lithology. The relationships between the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and the PLLs indicated that the PLLs varied between –3.3°C and –4.1°C for the northern Ela and Longstone Mountains and between –4.1°C and –4.6°C in the southern Bayan Har Mountains.