Zhang et al. (2025) The Response of Alpine Permafrost to Decadal Human Disturbance in the Context of Climate Warming

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Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-10-19
• Authors: Shuping Zhang, Ji Chen, Lijun Huo, Xinyang Li, Cheng‐Ying Wu, Hucai Zhang, Qi Feng
• DOI: 10.3390/rs17203482

Research Groups

[Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.]

Short Summary

This study investigated the spatiotemporal response of alpine permafrost in the Muri area of the Tibetan Plateau to decadal mining and climate change from 2000 to 2024, finding that human disturbance primarily caused an increase in active layer thickness without significant spatial expansion, with regional climate and terrain being major controlling factors.

Objective

• To decipher how and to what extent the permafrost in the Muri area has responded to decadal mining in the context of climate change.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Muri area (headwaters of the Datong River, northeast of the Tibetan Plateau) at a resolution of 30 meters × 30 meters.
• Temporal Scale: 2000–2024.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Stefan equation, Active Layer Thickness (ALT)–ground thaw index (DDT) coefficient.
• Data sources: Daily MODIS land surface temperatures (LSTs) (2000–2024), in situ ALT measurements.

Main Results

• Validation of downscaled LST showed a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 3.64 °C and a mean absolute error (MAE) of -0.1 °C.
• Validation of estimated ALT showed an RMSE of 0.5 meters and an MAE of -0.25 meters.
• Spatiotemporal analysis revealed that downscaled LST and estimated ALT effectively delineated the spatial extent and timing of human disturbance to permafrost in the Muri area during 2000–2024.
• Human disturbance, including mining and replantation, caused an increase in ALT without significant spatial expansion.
• The semi-arid climate, rough terrain, thin root zone, and gappy vertical structure beneath were identified as the major controlling factors of ALT variations.

Contributions

• Provided high-resolution and accurate ALT data, filling existing data gaps for the Muri area.
• Offered valuable references for understanding alpine permafrost evolution in other regions subjected to human disturbance and climate change.

Funding

[Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.]

Citation

@article{Zhang2025Response,
  author = {Zhang, Shuping and Chen, Ji and Huo, Lijun and Li, Xinyang and Wu, Cheng‐Ying and Zhang, Hucai and Feng, Qi},
  title = {The Response of Alpine Permafrost to Decadal Human Disturbance in the Context of Climate Warming},
  journal = {Remote Sensing},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.3390/rs17203482},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17203482}
}