Ji et al. (2025) Holistic assessment of seasonally frozen ground changes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-12-16
• Authors: Fang Ji, Shi Jing, Shanshui Yuan, Ziwei Li, Linfeng Fan, Junliang Jin, Liujun Zhu, Yingying Yao, Chunmiao Zheng
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134791

Research Groups

• The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
• Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
• Key Laboratory of Hydrologic-Cycle and Hydrodynamic-System of Ministry of Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
• Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Engineering Resilience, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
• Department of Earth and Environmental Science, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
• Eastern Institute for Advanced Study, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China
• State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China

Short Summary

This study developed a sinusoidal heat transfer model to quantify the elevational dynamics of seasonally frozen ground (SFG) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, revealing a widespread decline in freezing depth and duration from 1980 to 2018, with temperature and snowpack jointly controlling these changes.

Objective

• To quantify the elevational dynamics of seasonally frozen ground (SFG) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at large scales.
• To characterize the impacts of snowmelt and snowpack on the freeze–thaw processes.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP)
• Temporal Scale: 1980–2018

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Sinusoidal heat transfer model (linking soil thermal diffusivity, as functions of soil moisture, with surface temperature forcing).
• Data sources: In situ measurements from 58 meteorological stations.

Main Results

• The model achieved acceptable calibration performance for the maximum freezing depth (MFD).
• The mean first date of soil freeze (FDSF) delayed by 0.37 day/year over 1980–2018.
• The mean MFD declined by 0.0207 m/year over 1980–2018.
• Both freezing duration (FDR) and freeze–thaw duration (FTDR) shortened over 1980–2018.
• High-elevation regions generally exhibit an earlier FDSF, a deeper MFD, and longer FDR and FTDR, primarily driven by lower temperatures.
• At higher elevations, thinning snow reduces its insulating capacity, partly counteracting warming-induced FDSF delay and dampening the sensitivity of freeze onset to temperature increases.
• Temperature and snowpack jointly control the SFG elevational dependence.

Contributions

• Development of a novel sinusoidal heat transfer model to assess SFG dynamics by linking soil thermal diffusivity with surface temperature forcing.
• Quantification of large-scale elevational dynamics of SFG and the specific impacts of snowpack on freeze–thaw processes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
• Bridging observational gaps and offering improved assessments of freeze–thaw shifts and associated hydrological impacts in high-altitude regions.
• Confirmation of the joint control of temperature and snowpack on SFG elevational dependence.

Funding

Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Ji2025Holistic,
  author = {Ji, Fang and Jing, Shi and Yuan, Shanshui and Li, Ziwei and Fan, Linfeng and Jin, Junliang and Zhu, Liujun and Yao, Yingying and Zheng, Chunmiao},
  title = {Holistic assessment of seasonally frozen ground changes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134791},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134791}
}