Studies on frozen ground of China

1ThestatusoffrozengroundinChinaBased on previous studies, Zhou and Guo (1982) summarized the distribution characteristics of permafrost in China and indicated that the permafrost area in China is about 215×104 km2, in which about 163.4×104 km2 is on the Tibetan Plateau. After mapping and zonation of frozen ground in 1983, Xu and Wang suggested that the areas of permafrost, seasonally frozen ground and temporal frozen ground in China were 206.8×104 km2, 513.7×104 km2 and 229.1×104 km2 …     

中国冻土研究进展

Permafrost in China includes high latitude permafrost in northeastern China, alpine permafrost in northwestern China and high plateau permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau. The high altitude permafrost is about 92% of the total permafrost area in China. The south boundary or lower limit of the seasonally frozen ground is defined in accordance with the 0 ℃ isothermal line of mean air temperature in January, which is roughly corresponding to the line extending from the Qinling Mountains to the Huaihe River in the east and to the southeast boundary of the Tibetan Plateau in the west. Seasonal frozen ground occurs in large parts of the territory in northern China, including Northeast, North, Northwest China and the Tibetan Plateau except for permafrost regions, and accounting for about 55% of the land area of China. The southern limit of short-term frozen ground generally swings south and north along the 25° northern latitude line, occurring in the wet and warm subtropic monsoon climatic zone. Its area is less than 20% of the land area of China.     

Spatial coupling relationships of gas hydrate formation in the Tibetan Plateau

At present, gas hydrates are known to occur in continental high latitude permafrost regions and deep sea sediments. For middle latitude permafrost regions of the Tibetan Plateau, further research is required to ascertain its potential development of gas hydrates. This paper reviewed pertinent literature on gas hydrates in the Tibetan Plateau. Both geological and ge- ographical data are synthesized to reveal the relationship between gas hydrate formation and petroleum geological evo- lution, Plateau uplift, formation of permafrost, and glacial processes. Previous studies indicate that numerous residual basins in the Plateau have been formed by original sedimentary basins accompanied by rapid uplift of the Plateau. Ex- tensive marine Mesozoic hydrocarbon source rocks in these basins could provide rich sources of materials forming gas hydrates in permafrost. Primary hydrocarbon-generating period in the Plateau is from late Jurassic to early Cretaceous, while secondary hydrocarbon generation, regionally or locally, occurs mainly in the Paleogene. Before rapid uplift of the Plateau, oil-gas reservoirs were continuously destroyed and assembled to form new reservoirs due to structural and thermal dynamics, forcing hydrocarbon migration. Since 3.4 Ma B.P., the Plateau has undergone strong uplift and extensive gla- ciation, periglacier processes prevailed, hydrocarbon gas again migrated, and free gas beneath ice sheets within sedi- mentary materials interacted with water, generating gas hydrates which were finally preserved under a cap formed by frozen layers through rapid cooling in the Plateau. Taken as a whole, it can be safely concluded that there is great temporal and spatial coupling relationships between evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and generation of gas hydrates.     

近30年来青藏高原西大滩多年冻土变化

结合1975年已有勘探资料,对青藏高原多年冻土北界西大滩进行了雷达勘探。勘探发现,近30年来青藏高原多年冻土北界发生较大规模的多年冻土退化,多年冻土面积从1975年的160.5 km²退化成现在的141.0 km²,缩小约12%;开始出现多年冻土的最低高程为4 385 m,比1975年升高了25 m。近30年来研究区的气候变化是造成北界多年冻土退化的主要原因。相同气候背景下,多年冻土腹部地温有升高,但在30年尺度上不会发生明显的退化。本次冻土区域调查的结果可为检验冻土－气候关系模型的可靠与否提供依据。     

Historical Overview of Permafrost Studies in China

Although soil freeze/thaw phenomena were reported centuries ago in the historical Chinese literature, systematic study of permafrost in China started in the 1950s. Permafrost research in China has been related to the exploration for and economic development of natural resources. Intensive investigations for several decades culminated in 2000 in the publication of a detailed map of geocryological regionalization and classification. From this map, it is estimated that permafrost covers approximately 23% of the country. About 80% of China's permafrost is mountain permafrost. China contains about 74.5% of the mountain permafrost area of the northern hemisphere. Since the early 1960s, researchers in China have conducted numerous field campaigns to determine permafrost and ground-ice distribution. A comprehensive ground-based and long-term monitoring network has been established on the Tibetan Plateau and in northeastern China. The State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering (SKLFSE) was established in 1991 and is open to national and international engineers and scientists to conduct related studies and experiments. Numerous field and laboratory experiments, as well as numerical modeling, have been conducted to meet the requirements for industrial design, construction, and operation in permafrost regions. Rescuing, archiving, and distributing historical permafrost data would greatly aid the ability of scientists to assess long-term changes in permafrost and its potential influence on the natural and engineered environment. Chinese geocryologists and engineers are facing new challenges with the construction and future operation of the Qinghai-Xizang railroad that will cross 550 km of permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau.     

冈底斯山——念青唐古拉山线自然地理意义的探讨

本文讨论了青藏高原冈底斯山—念青唐古拉山线的自然地理意义。认为它是我国东部秦岭—淮河线在青藏高原的“变体”。     

Regional Differentiation and Classification for Carrying Constraints on the Resources and Environment of China

Research on the relationship between national resource constraint-region types and environmental carrying capacity is essential for the continued development of Chinese industrialization and urbanization. Thus, utilizing a series of key indexes including the per-capita potential of available land resources, the per-capita potential of available water resources, the degree of environmental stress, and the degree of ecological restriction, a step-by-step, integrated measuring method is presented here to understand the constrained carrying elements of water and land resources as well as environment and ecology. Spatial differences are analyzed and area types classified at the county level across China. Results reveal that: (1) Almost 90% of China is strongly constrained by both resources and the environment, while nearly 50% of national territory is strongly constrained by two elements, especially in areas of intensive population and industry to the east of the Helan-Longmen Mountain line; (2) Densely populated areas of eastern and central China, as well as on the Tibetan Plateau, are strongly constrained by a shortage of land resources, while North China, the northwest, northeast, the Sichuan basin, and some southern cities are experiencing strong constraints because of water shortages. In contrast, the North China plain, the Yangtze River delta, northern Jiangsu, Sichuan province, Chongqing municipality, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces, the northeast plain, and the northern Loess Plateau are constrained by high levels of environmental stress. Areas of China that are strongly ecologically constrained tend to be concentrated to the southwest of the Tianshan-Dabie Mountain line, as well as in the northeast on the Loess Plateau, in the Alashan of Inner Mongolia, in northeast China, and in the northern Jiangsu coastal area; (3) Constraints on national resources and environmental carrying capacity are diverse and cross-cut China, meanwhile, multi-element spatial distribution does reveal a degree of relative centralization. With the exception of the Tibetan Plateau which is resources-ecological constraint , other areas subject to cross constraints are mainly concentrated to the east of the Helan-Longmen Mountain line.     

论青藏高原范围与面积

长期以来 ,种种因素导致学者们对青藏高原确切范围的认识和理解存在差异。根据青藏高原相关领域研究的新成果和多年野外实践 ,从地理学角度 ,充分讨论了确定青藏高原范围和界线的原则与涉及的问题 ,结合信息技术方法对青藏高原范围与界线位置进行了精确的定位和定量分析。得出 :青藏高原在中国境内部分西起帕米尔高原 ,东至横断山脉 ,横跨 31个经度 ,东西长约 2 94 5km ;南自喜马拉雅山脉南缘 ,北迄昆仑山 -祁连山北侧 ,纵贯约 13个纬度 ,南北宽达 15 32km ;范围为 2 6°0 0′12″N～ 39°4 6′5 0″N ,73°18′5 2″E～ 10 4°4 6′5 9″E ,面积为 2 5 72 4× 10 3km2 ,占我国陆地总面积的 2 6 8%。     

基于MODIS温度的青藏高原多年冻土活动层厚度变化研究

基于MODIS温度数据,采用TTOP模型和Stefan公式模拟了青藏高原地区的冻土分布并计算了活动层厚度,并与地面观测结果进行了对比。结果表明：2003—2019年青藏高原多年冻土面积为1.01×10⁶ km²;多年冻土活动层厚度区域平均值为1.79 m, 活动层厚度区域平均的变化率为3.67 cm/10a,且草甸地区的变化率明显大于草原地区,5100~5300 m高程带的活动层厚度变化速率最大。     

考虑局地因素坡向影响的青藏高原工程走廊冻土分布与制图研究

通过Pearson相关性分析,选取对青藏高原工程走廊多年冻土分布影响较大、在GIS技术支持下较容易量化的坡向因子,结合走廊内2000—2010年29个钻孔点的地温监测数据,建立了年均地温与坡向、纬度和高程的关系模型。根据高原冻土工程地温分带指标,制作了工程走廊内符合实际的冻土分布图,由面积统计结果知:多年冻土区占整个区域的94.06%,其中,低温稳定带占多年冻土区面积的15.94%,主要分布在风火山和可可西里的高山基岩区;低温基本稳定带占16.97%,主要分布在风火山及可可西里丘陵地带;高温不稳定带占48%,主要分布于可可西里和北麓河盆地东缘;高温极不稳地带占19.09%,主要分布于北麓河盆地和楚玛尔河高平原。     

黄河源区冻土分布制图及其热稳定性特征模拟

以黄河源区多年冻土分布现状和热力特征为研究目标,通过野外调查及实测数据,分析了黄河源区不同地形地貌、不同地表覆盖条件下的冻土形成、分布特征和以地温为基础的热学特征,探讨了不同尺度因素对多年冻土分布的影响。结果表明,在高程低于4 300 m的平原区,多年冻土多不发育;在高于4 350 m的山区,局地地形对多年冻土的形成与分布作用显著。除阳坡地形外,多年冻土均比较发育;介于4 300~4 350 m的低山丘陵和平原区,局地地形、地表植被、土壤湿度等因素共同决定着多年冻土的形成和分布格局。以年均地温指标为基础,构建了以纬度、经度和高程为自变量的回归模型,并对阳坡地形进行微调和校正。结果表明,以0oC作为划分季节冻土和多年冻土的标准和界限,多年冻土面积2.5×10⁴km²,约占整个源区面积的85.1%;季节冻土面积0.3×10⁴km²,约占整个源区面积的9.7%。进一步以0.5oC或1.0oC为分类间隔绘制了黄河源区多年冻土热稳定性空间分布图。     

Estimating interaction between surface water and groundwater in a permafrost region of the northern Tibetan Plateau using heat tracing method

Understanding the interaction between groundwater and surface water in permafrost regions is essential to study flood frequencies and river water quality, especially in the high latitude/altitude basins. The application of heat tracing method,based on oscillating streambed temperature signals, is a promising geophysical method for identifying and quantifying the interaction between groundwater and surface water. Analytical analysis based on a one-dimensional convective-conductive heat transport equation combined with the fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing method was applied on a streambed of a mountainous permafrost region in the Yeniugou Basin, located in the upper Heihe River on the northern Tibetan Plateau. The results indicated that low connectivity existed between the stream and groundwater in permafrost regions.The interaction between surface water and groundwater increased with the thawing of the active layer. This study demonstrates that the heat tracing method can be applied to study surface water-groundwater interaction over temporal and spatial scales in permafrost regions.     

Characteristics of abrupt changes of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer in the Tibetan Plateau and their impacts on summer precipitation in China

In this paper, a variation series of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer from 1965 to 2004 on the Tibetan Plateau has been established by using the observation data from meteorological stations. The sliding T-test, M-K test and B-G algorithm are used to verify abrupt changes of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer in the Tibetan plateau. The results show that the snow cover has not undergone an abrupt change, but the seasonal freeze-thaw layer obviously witnessed a rapid degradation in 1987, with the frozen soil depth being reduced by about 15 cm. It is also found that when there is less snow in the plateau region, precipitation in South China and Southwest China increases. But when the frozen soil is deep, precipitation in most of China apparently decreases. Both snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer on the plateau can be used to predict the summer precipitation in China. However, if the impacts of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer are used at the same time, the predictability of summer precipitation can be significantly improved. The significant correlation zone of snow is located in middle reaches of the Yangtze River covering the Hexi Corridor and northeastern Inner Mongolia, and the seasonal freeze-thaw layer exists in Mt. Nanling, northern Shannxi and northwestern part of North China. The significant correlation zone of simultaneous impacts of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer is larger than that of either snow cover or seasonal freeze-thaw layer. There are three significant correlation zones extending from north to south: the north zone spreads from Mt. Daxinganling to the Hexi Corridor, crossing northern Mt. Taihang and northern Shannxi; the central zone covers middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River; and the south zone extends from Mt. Wuyi to Yunnan and Guizhou Plateau through Mt. Nanling.     

2000—2015年中蒙俄经济走廊东段冻土时空变化及植被响应

中蒙俄经济走廊东段位于欧亚大陆多年冻土区东南缘及森林线南界接近区,冻土及生态环境脆弱。本文基于MERRA-Land陆面模式离线运行产品分析了中蒙俄经济走廊东段2000—2015年间冻土冻融的时空变化模式,以及冻土变化对返青期和全年不同阶段植被生长状态的影响。研究表明：2000—2015年间研究区多年冻土及季节冻土均持续退化,时间上主要表现为冻土提前解冻、延迟冻结;空间上主要表现为多年冻土南界的多年冻土退化和季节冻土下限抬升,及连续多年冻土南界的活动层加厚。解冻始日是森林地区植被返青的主控要素,林下冻土解冻对土壤含水量的增加及沼泽湿地的隔热蓄水功能影响了森林地区植被的生长。但随着多年冻土南界森林及林下泥炭地演替为草甸和农田,多年冻土退化,进一步促进林下沼泽湿地的消失。探讨冻土退化与生态环境之间的协同关系,有助于识别气候变暖和人类活动叠加影响下的冻土退化脆弱区以及生态环境敏感区。     

青藏高原风沙堆积对多年冻土影响研究进展

受全球气候变化和人类活动影响,青藏高原上的土地沙漠化正呈现加速发展态势。沙漠化产生的风沙堆积势必改变地表辐射和能量平衡状况,对较为敏感和脆弱的多年冻土环境造成影响,并可能影响青藏铁路路基的稳定性。因此,研究积沙对多年冻土的影响对于高原沙害防治、多年冻土保护和道路工程建设都具有重要的理论及现实意义。目前,前人已在青藏高原地表能量平衡研究方面取得了一些成果,并开始关注积沙对冻土温度影响问题。然而,由于已有观测资料的连续性、同步性和可比性等局限,对积沙地表辐射和能量平衡方面的研究还比较薄弱,积沙对冻土温度过程影响的研究结果尚不一致,而积沙对路基影响的问题也亟待开展研究。为此,本文提出了加强定位观测、开展室内低温实验以及数值模拟等建议,以期对今后的深入研究起到抛砖引玉作用。     

亚洲夏季风北部边缘带变化及中高纬度行星波对其影响

本文使用1961—2016年NCEP1再分析资料和GPCC全球降水分析资料,确定了亚洲夏季风北部边缘带的空间范围,分析了季风边缘带的南北边界位置、降水、面积的相互关系和年代/际变化特征,讨论了造成季风边缘带夏季降水异常的影响因子。主要结论如下：亚洲夏季风北部边缘带平均位置位于青藏高原中部经黄土高原和中国东北地区向亚洲东岸延伸的带状区域上,根据下垫面性质、区域生态环境和气候特征,将季风北边缘带划分为青藏高原区（85°E~105°E）、黄土高原区（105°E~115°E）和中国东北区（115°E~135°E）3段,季风边缘带降水的年际变化与其南边界位置有显著的正相关,青藏高原季风边缘带面积变化与其南界位置显著负相关,黄土高原季风边缘带和东北季风边缘带面积与北边界位置显著正相关,且3段季风边缘带的位置、面积、降水均有明显的年际、年代际变化特征。季风边缘带夏季降水偏少与欧亚中高纬对流层上层自西向东传播的欧亚（EU）遥相关波列密切相关,季风边缘带夏季降水偏少时期,亚洲低纬度地区对流活动偏弱、非洲东岸近赤道地区200 hPa异常辐合可能造成索马里急流和亚洲夏季风强度整体偏弱,200 hPa亚洲急流强度弱且位置偏北,500 hPa中国北方受西风带异常高压控制,东亚夏季风降水主要集中在中国南方地区,季风边缘带夏季降水异常偏少。季风边缘带夏季降水偏多与欧亚中高纬对流层上层沿亚洲急流向东传播的丝绸之路（SRP）波列密切相关,200 hPa、500 hPa环流形势与季风边缘带夏季降水偏少时期基本相反,东亚夏季风降水空间分布呈北多南少特征,季风边缘带夏季降水异常偏多。     

青海永久冻土区天然气水合物开发的环境影响风险防治

 青海省祁连山南缘多年冻土区发现天然气水合物,这是在我国冻土区的首次发现。虽然青海天然气水合物的发现与开发具有诸如能源战略等重要意义,但在多年冻土区开发天然气水合物具有巨大的环境影响风险,包括CH4释放对全球气候的影响、冻土层的退化和高寒草甸的破坏、开采过程中可能出现的塌方和地陷等。可以通过采用安全可靠的具有针对性的开发技术和工艺,将青海天然气水合物开发纳入柴达木循环经济范畴,采用CO2捕获和封存技术,以及控制工程过程等来防治天然气水合物开发过程中的环境影响。     

藏北高原土壤温度分布的纬向效应和高度效应

利用ＧＡＭＥ－Ｔｉｂｅｔ野外观测期间所得藏北高原不同地点土壤温度资料,对藏北高原土壤温度分布纬向地带性和垂直地带性特征进行分析,结果表明夏季土壤温度分布主要表现为高度效应,而冬季土壤温度分布主要表现为纬度效应,年平均土壤温度分布是纬度效应和高度效应综合作用的结果。     

Geocryological characteristics of the upper permafrost in a tundra-forest transition of the Indigirka River Valley,Russia

Understanding geocryological characteristics of frozen sediment, such as cryostratigraphy, ice content, and stable isotope ratio of ground ice, is essential to predicting consequences of projected permafrost thaw in response to global warming. These characteristics determine thermokarst extent and controls hydrological regime—and hence vegetation growth—especially in areas of high latitude; it also yields knowledge about the history of changes in the hydrological regime. To obtain these fundamental data, we sampled and analyzed unfrozen and frozen surficial sediments from 18 boreholes down to 1–2.3 m depth at five sites near Chokurdakh, Russia. Profiles of volumetric ice content in upper permafrost excluding wedge ice volume showed large variation, ranging from 40 to 96%, with an average of 75%. This large amount of ground ice was in the form of ice lenses or veins forming well-developed cryostructures, mainly due to freezing of frost-susceptible sediment under water-saturated condition. Our analysis of geocryological characteristics in frozen ground including ice content, cryostratigraphy, soil mechanical characteristics, organic matter content and components, and water stable isotope ratio provided information to reconstruct terrestrial paleo-environments and to estimate the influence of recent maximum thaw depth, microtopography, and flooding upon permafrost development in permafrost regions of NE Russia.     

Recent progress of glaciological studies in China

1IntroductionIn the early 1960s, glaciers in western China were classified into maritime- and continental-types by different glacial environment and physical characteristics (Shi and Xie, 1964). With extensive glaciological investigations in the western regions (Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Geocryology of CAS, 1988), Lai and Huang (1990) suggested a new classification of temperate, subpolar and quasipolar glaciers, corresponding to the maritime-, subcontinental- and extremely contin…