Impacts of climate warming on the frozen ground and eco-hydrology in the Yellow River source region, China

Qin, Yue; Yang, Dawen; Gao, Bing; Wang, Taihua; Chen, Jinsong; Chen, Yun; Wang, Yuhan; Zheng, Guilang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.188

Cited by 130 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…The maximum difference in AMGT between the two models reached to 2 °C in some areas, which would lead to errors in permafrost mapping. For example, the permafrost extent simulated in CONTROL was about 8% smaller, which will exert significant impacts on eco‐hydrological processes (Qin et al, , ). On average, ET simulated in CONTROL was about 16 mm/a higher than that in BASE over the basin.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of Topographic Shadows on the Thermal and Hydrological Processes in a Cold Region Mountainous Watershed in Northwest China

Zhang

Cheng

et al. 2018

J Adv Model Earth Syst

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The solar radiation incident in a mountainous area with a complex terrain has a strong spatial heterogeneity due to the variations in slope orientation (self‐shading) and shadows cast by surrounding topography agents (topographic shading). Although slope self‐shading has been well studied and considered in most land surface and hydrological models, topographic shading is usually ignored, and its influence on the thermal and hydrological processes in a cold mountainous area remains unclear. In this study, a topographic solar radiation algorithm with consideration for both slope self‐shading and topographic shadows has been implemented and incorporated into a distributed hydrological model with physically based descriptions for the energy balance. A promising model performance was achieved according to a vigorous evaluation. In a control model without considering the topographic shadows, the simulated solar radiation incident in the study area was about 14.3 W/m2 higher on average, which in turn led to a higher simulated annual mean ground temperature at 4 m (by 0.41 °C) and evapotranspiration (by 16.1 mm/a), and a smaller permafrost extent (reduced by about 8%), as well as smaller maximal snow depth and shorter snow duration. Although the simulation was not significantly improved for discharge hydrograph in the base model, higher river runoff peaks and an increased runoff depth were obtained. In areas with a rugged terrain and deep valleys, the influences of topographic shadows would even be stronger in reality than the presented results, which cannot be ignored in the simulation of the thermal and hydrological processes, especially in a refined model.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of Topographic Shadows on the Thermal and Hydrological Processes in a Cold Region Mountainous Watershed in Northwest China

Zhang

Cheng

et al. 2018

J Adv Model Earth Syst

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“…), as well as an eco‐hydrological modeling study from the eastern Plateau that predicted decreases in SM and leaf area index with rapid, warming‐induced permafrost degradation (Qin et al. ). These findings from the Tibetan Plateau also fit into a broader view of the importance of precipitation in driving ecosystem dynamics and mediating degradation in rangeland systems globally (Ellis and Swift , von Wehrden et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the Yellow River source region of the Tibetan Plateau, Qin et al. () found a 1.1% decrease in the permafrost area ratio over the past 35 yr; permafrost area decreased sharply after 2000, a decline that correlated with strong temperature increases. In a review of permafrost dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau since the 1950s, Zhang et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Permafrost and drought regulate vulnerability of Tibetan Plateau grasslands to warming

et al. 2018

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The Tibetan Plateau has the largest expanse of high‐elevation permafrost in the world, and it is experiencing climate warming that may jeopardize the functioning of its alpine ecosystems. Many studies have focused on the effects of climate warming on vegetation production and diversity on the Plateau, but their disparate results have hindered a comprehensive, regional understanding. From a synthesis of twelve warming experiments across the Plateau, we found that warming increased aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and vegetation height at sites with permafrost, but ANPP decreased with warming at non‐permafrost sites. Aboveground net primary production responded more negatively to warming under drier conditions, due to both annual drought conditions and warming‐induced soil moisture loss. Decreases in species diversity with warming were also larger at sites with permafrost. These results support the emerging understanding that water plays a central role in the functioning of cold environments and suggest that as ecosystems cross a threshold from permafrost to non‐permafrost systems, ANPP will decrease across a greater proportion of the Tibetan Plateau. This study also highlights the future convergence of challenges from permafrost degradation and grassland desertification, requiring new collaborations among these currently distinct research and stakeholder groups.

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“…Warming‐enhanced evaporation may affect water availability (Gao, Li, Leung, Chen, & Xu, ). Meanwhile, the degradation of permafrost induced by warming may also reduce soil water availability by deepening the active layer and thus enhancing the loss of soil water (Jin et al., ; Qin et al., ; Yi, Wang, Qin, Xiang, & Ding, ). Water availability is a major determinant of vertical plant migration in arid and semi‐arid areas (Crimmins et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mismatch in elevational shifts between satellite observed vegetation greenness and temperature isolines during 2000–2016 on the Tibetan Plateau

Zhu

Shen

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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Climate warming on the Tibetan Plateau tends to induce an uphill shift of temperature isolines. Observations and process-based models have both shown that climate warming has resulted in an increase in vegetation greenness on the Tibetan Plateau in recent decades. However, it is unclear whether the uphill shift of temperature isolines has caused greenness isolines to shift upward and whether the two shifts match each other. Our analysis of satellite observed vegetation greenness during the growing season (May-Sep) and gridded climate data for 2000-2016 documented a substantial mismatch between the elevational shifts of greenness and temperature isolines. This mismatch is probably associated with a lagging response of greenness to temperature change and with the elevational gradient of greenness. The lagging response of greenness may be associated with water limitation, resources availability, and acclimation. This lag may weaken carbon sequestration by Tibetan ecosystems, given that greenness is closely related to primary carbon uptake and ecosystem respiration increases exponentially with temperature. We also found that differences in terrain slope angle accounted for large spatial variations in the elevational gradient of greenness and thus the velocity of elevational shifts of greenness isolines and the sensitivity of elevational shifts of greenness isolines to temperature, highlighting the role of terrain effects on the elevational shifts of greenness isolines. The mismatches and the terrain effect found in this study suggest that there is potentially large micro-topographical difference in response and acclimation/adaptation of greenness to temperature changes in plants. More widespread in situ measurements and fine-resolution remote sensing observations and fine-gridded climate data are required to attribute the mismatch to specific environmental drivers and ecological processes such as vertical changes in community structure, plant physiology, and distribution of species.

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Impacts of climate warming on the frozen ground and eco-hydrology in the Yellow River source region, China

Cited by 130 publications

References 59 publications

Influences of Topographic Shadows on the Thermal and Hydrological Processes in a Cold Region Mountainous Watershed in Northwest China

Influences of Topographic Shadows on the Thermal and Hydrological Processes in a Cold Region Mountainous Watershed in Northwest China

Permafrost and drought regulate vulnerability of Tibetan Plateau grasslands to warming

Mismatch in elevational shifts between satellite observed vegetation greenness and temperature isolines during 2000–2016 on the Tibetan Plateau

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