The impact of land surface temperatures on suprapermafrost groundwater on the central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Huang, Kewei; Dai, Junchen; Wang, Genxu; Chang, Juan; Lü, Yaqiong; Song, Chunlin; Hu, Zhaoyong; Ahmed, Naveed; Ye, Renzheng

doi:10.1002/hyp.13677

Cited by 24 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The SUTRA model simulations indicated that groundwater provides significant contributions to streams in the form of baseflow and that the majority of groundwater flow is from the shallow aquifer above the permafrost. Huang et al (2019) used the FEFLOW hydrogeological software program to simulate supra-permafrost groundwater discharge in different land surface temperature conditions on the central QTP. They found that topography, particularly aspect, plays an essential role in temperature, permeability, and groundwater discharge.…”

Section: Permafrost Groundwater Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Permafrost Hydrology of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A Review of Processes and Modeling

et al. 2021

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Permafrost extends 40% of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), a region which contains the headwaters of numerous major rivers in Asia. As an aquiclude, permafrost substantially controls surface runoff and its hydraulic connection with groundwater. The freeze–thaw cycle in the active layer significantly impacts soil water movement direction, velocity, storage capacity, and hydraulic conductivity. Under the accelerating warming on the QTP, permafrost degradation is drastically altering regional and even continental hydrological regimes, attracting the attention of hydrologists, climatologists, ecologists, engineers, and decision-makers. A systematic review of permafrost hydrological processes and modeling on the QTP is still lacking, however, leaving a number of knowledge gaps. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of permafrost hydrological processes and applications of some permafrost hydrological models of varying complexity at different scales on the QTP. We then discuss the current challenges and future opportunities, including observations and data, the understanding of processes, and model realism. The goal of this review is to provide a clear picture of where we are now and to describe future challenges and opportunities. We concluded that more efforts are needed to conduct long-term field measurements, employ more advanced observation technologies, and develop flexible and modular models to deepen our understanding of permafrost hydrological processes and to improve our ability to predict the future responses of permafrost hydrology to climate changes.

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Section: Permafrost Groundwater Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Permafrost Hydrology of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A Review of Processes and Modeling

et al. 2021

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“…Many cold‐region surface processes, such as snow cover insulation, snow redistribution, shifts in vegetation, differential radiation due to slope aspect, turbulent fluxes, and seasonally variable albedo, significantly impact the ground thermal and hydrologic conditions (Jorgenson et al, 2010; Shur & Jorgenson, 2007; Young, Lemieux, Delottier, Fortier, & Fortier, 2020). Depending on the setting, some of these processes strongly influence land surface temperatures (Goodrich, 1982; Zhang, 2005), which in turn will impact the distribution of frozen ground and groundwater flow patterns (Connon, Devoie, Hayashi, Veness, & Quinton, 2018; Huang et al, 2020; Kurylyk, MacQuarrie, & McKenzie, 2014; Qi et al, 2019). For example, O'Neill and Burn (2017) found that a talik had formed underneath a snow fence in continuous permafrost, which led to half a meter of land subsidence.…”

Section: Boundary Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the studies that use these models have considered archetypical cold hydrogeological environments, with the objective of developing a conceptual understanding of these complex settings and how they respond to warming (e.g., Bense et al, 2012; Frampton, Painter, & Destouni, 2013). Research efforts to date have highlighted the importance of heat advection through groundwater flow as a possible contributor to permafrost degradation in certain settings (Dagenais, Molson, Lemieux, Fortier, & Therrien, 2020; McKenzie & Voss, 2013; Shojae Ghias, Therrien, Molson, & Lemieux, 2018; Sjöberg et al, 2016), elucidated the formation and hydrogeological impact of lateral and vertical taliks (Jafarov et al, 2018; Lamontagne‐Hallé, McKenzie, Kurylyk, & Zipper, 2018; Rowland, Travis, & Wilson, 2011; Wellman, Voss, & Walvoord, 2013), illustrated the current and future patterns of groundwater discharge to streams (Evans, Ge, Voss, & Molotch, 2018; Evans, Godsey, Rushlow, & Voss, 2020; Huang et al, 2020; Lamontagne‐Hallé et al, 2018), and to a very limited extent presented field applications of these models (e.g., Dagenais et al, 2020; Evans et al, 2020; Kurylyk, Hayashi, Quinton, McKenzie, & Voss, 2016; Langford, Schincariol, Nagare, Quinton, & Mohammed, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines for cold‐regions groundwater numerical modeling

et al. 2020

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The impacts of ongoing climate warming on cold-regions hydrogeology and groundwater resources have created a need to develop groundwater models adapted to these environments. Although permafrost is considered relatively impermeable to groundwater flow, permafrost thaw may result in potential increases in surface water infiltration, groundwater recharge, and hydrogeologic connectivity that can impact northern water resources. To account for these feedbacks, groundwater models that include the dynamic effects of freezing and thawing on ground properties and thermal regimes have been recently developed. However, these models are more complex than traditional hydrogeology numerical models due to the inclusion of nonlinear freeze-thaw processes and complex thermal boundary conditions. As such, their use to date has been limited to a small community of modeling experts. This article aims to provide guidelines and tips on cold-regions groundwater modeling for those with previous modeling experience.

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“…In summer, the shallow ground thaws, and subsurface water is readily able to flow. Subsurface flow triggers heat advection that modifies ground temperatures, and the extent of this temperature change is a function of flow rates, hydrogeologic properties, and regional climate (McKenzie, Siegel, Rosenberry, Glaser, & Voss, 2007;Woo, 2012;Shojae Ghias, Therrien, Molson, & Lemieux, 2018;Huang et al, 2019;Shojae Ghias, Therrien, Molson, & Lemieux, 2018;Woo, 2012). Paquette, Fortier, and Vincent (2017) observed that in polar desert conditions, snowmelt water flowing through water tracks has a cooling effect on the subsurface and restricts the extent of active-layer deepening.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of heat advection on the thermal regime of roads built on permafrost

Chen

Fortier

McKenzie

et al. 2020

Hydrological Processes

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In northern regions, transportation infrastructure can experience severe structural damages due to permafrost degradation. Water infiltration and subsurface water flow under an embankment affect the energy balance of roadways and underlying permafrost. However, the quantification of the processes controlling these changes and a detailed investigation of their thermal impacts remain largely unknown due to a lack of available long‐term embankment temperature data in permafrost regions. Here, we report observations of heat advection linked to surface water infiltration and subsurface flow based on a 9‐year (from 2009 to 2017) thermal monitoring at an experimental road test site built on ice‐rich permafrost conditions in southwestern Yukon, Canada. Our results show that snowmelt water infiltration in the spring rapidly increases temperature in the upper portion of the embankment. The earlier disappearance of snow deposited at the embankment slope increases the thawing period and the temperature gradient in the embankment compared with the natural ground. Infiltrated summer rainfall water lowered the near‐surface temperatures and subsequently warmed embankment fill materials down to 3.6‐m depth. Heat advection caused by the flow of subsurface water produced warming rates at depth in the embankment subgrade up to two orders of magnitude faster than by atmospheric warming (heat conduction). Subsurface water flow promoted permafrost thawing under the road embankment and led to an increase in active layer thickness. We conclude that the thermal stability of roadways along the Alaska Highway corridor is not maintainable in situations where water is flowing under the infrastructure unless mitigation techniques are used. Severe structural damages to the highway embankment are expected to occur in the next decade.

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The impact of land surface temperatures on suprapermafrost groundwater on the central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Cited by 24 publications

References 52 publications

Permafrost Hydrology of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A Review of Processes and Modeling

Permafrost Hydrology of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A Review of Processes and Modeling

Guidelines for cold‐regions groundwater numerical modeling

Impact of heat advection on the thermal regime of roads built on permafrost

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