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Interactions between freeze–thaw actions, wind erosion desertification, and permafrost in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

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Abstract

The unique natural environment of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau has led to the development of widespread permafrost and desertification. However, the relationship between desertification and permafrost is rarely explored. Here we study the interaction between desertification and permafrost using a combination of simulations, experiments, and field observations in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Results show the cohesion values of the test samples that experienced 1, 3, and 6 freeze–thaw cycle times decreased by 65.9, 46.0, and 35.5 %, respectively, and the compressive strength of the test samples decreased by 69.6, 39.6, and 34.7 %, respectively, compared to the test samples that did not experience freeze–thaw cycles. The wind erosion rate of the test block eroded by sand-bearing wind was far larger than that by clean wind under the same conditions; the maximum value was 50 times higher than that by clean wind. The wind erosion rate increased with an increasing number of freeze–thaw cycles, water content, and freeze–thaw temperature difference. The ground temperature below the sand layer was decreased, compared to the natural ground surface that without sand layer covering, the drop amplitude of yearly average temperature was roughly maintained at 0.2 °C below the thick sand layer (1.2 m), and the maximum drop of yearly average temperature was 0.7 °C below the thin sand layer (0.1 m). Therefore, with the presence of water, the destruction of surface soil structure caused by repeated and fierce freeze–thaw actions is the main cause of wind erosion desertification in the permafrost region of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, and sand-bearing wind is the main dynamic force. The development of eolian sand deposits after the desertification emerges. As a result, the properties of the underlying surface are altered. Due to the high reflectivity and poor heat conductivity of the sand layer, the heat exchange of the land–atmosphere system is impeded, causing a drop in the ground temperature of the underlying permafrost that subsequently preserves the permafrost.

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Acknowledgments

This research project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41401611), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant Nos. 2014M560817 and 2015T81069), the Science and Technology Program of Gansu Province (Grant No. 145RJZA118), and one of Special Fund for Forest Scientific Research in the Public Welfare (201504401).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification/Dunhuang Gobi and Desert Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Shengbo Xie & Jianjun Qu

  2. Institute of Transportation, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China

    Xiangtian Xu

  3. Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China

    Yingjun Pang

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  1. Shengbo Xie
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  2. Jianjun Qu
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Correspondence to Shengbo Xie or Xiangtian Xu.

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Xie, S., Qu, J., Xu, X. et al. Interactions between freeze–thaw actions, wind erosion desertification, and permafrost in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Nat Hazards 85, 829–850 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2606-4

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