The role of rainfall in the thermal-moisture dynamics of the active layer at Beiluhe of Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

Wen, Zhi; Niu, F.; Yu, Qihao; Wang, Dayang; Feng, Wenjie; Zheng, Jianfeng

doi:10.1007/s12665-013-2523-8

Cited by 54 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…It was found that the soil temperature drop is linked with soil moisture rise, event duration, and event rainfall intensity. Zhi et al [41] studied the effect of rainfall on soil moisture and soil temperature in active layers of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. They also observed that water infiltration could influence the thermal dynamics of the active layers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Temperature Dynamics at Hillslope Scale—Field Observation and Machine Learning-Based Approach

Nanda

Sen

Sharma

et al. 2020

Water

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Soil temperature plays an important role in understanding hydrological, ecological, meteorological, and land surface processes. However, studies related to soil temperature variability are very scarce in various parts of the world, especially in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Thus, this study aims to analyze the spatio-temporal variability of soil temperature in two nested hillslopes of the lesser Himalaya and to check the efficiency of different machine learning algorithms to estimate soil temperature in the data-scarce region. To accomplish this goal, grassed (GA) and agro-forested (AgF) hillslopes were instrumented with Odyssey water level and decagon soil moisture and temperature sensors. The average soil temperature of the south aspect hillslope (i.e., GA hillslope) was higher than the north aspect hillslope (i.e., AgF hillslope). After analyzing 40 rainfall events from both hillslopes, it was observed that a rainfall duration of greater than 7.5 h or an event with an average rainfall intensity greater than 7.5 mm/h results in more than 2 °C soil temperature drop. Further, a drop in soil temperature less than 1 °C was also observed during very high-intensity rainfall which has a very short event duration. During the rainy season, the soil temperature drop of the GA hillslope is higher than the AgF hillslope as the former one infiltrates more water. This observation indicates the significant correlation between soil moisture rise and soil temperature drop. The potential of four machine learning algorithms was also explored in predicting soil temperature under data-scarce conditions. Among the four machine learning algorithms, an extreme gradient boosting system (XGBoost) performed better for both the hillslopes followed by random forests (RF), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and support vector machine (SVMs). The addition of rainfall to meteorological and meteorological + soil moisture datasets did not improve the models considerably. However, the addition of soil moisture to meteorological parameters improved the model significantly.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Temperature Dynamics at Hillslope Scale—Field Observation and Machine Learning-Based Approach

Nanda

Sen

Sharma

et al. 2020

Water

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“…Our results show that infiltrated rainfall water warms embankment fill materials at depths of up to 3.6 m while lowering the near-surface temperature ( Table 3). The macropores and low moisture of embankment materials (Table S1) Wen et al, (2014) and Wen et al, (2015) demonstrated that summer rainfall infiltration caused shallow subsurface soil cooling through thermal and moisture analysis, although the differences of surface cover types and soil's properties was not included in their study.…”

Section: Difference Between the Natural Ground And Embankment's Slopementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Observations of ground temperatures show that the infiltration of snowmelt and rainfall alters soil temperatures in Arctic and sub‐Arctic regions (Hinkel, Paetzold, Nelson, & Bockheim, ; Kane, Hinkel, Goering, Hinzman, & Outcalt, ; Luethi, Phillips, & Lehning, ) and on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) (Liu et al, ; Wen et al, ; Zhang, Wen, Xue, Chen, & Li, ). In the spring, snowmelt infiltration causes a rapid temperature increase of the upper portion of the ground (Hinkel et al, ; Kane et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

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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“…Therefore, the TP is often called as the third pole in the world. Because of the mechanical blockage effects on the westerly jets and strong thermal influence on the atmosphere, the TP imposes significant impacts on the onset and maintenance of East Asia Monsoon, and the weather and climate of downstream (e.g., Chen & Bordoni, 2014; Wen et al, 2014; Wu et al, 2012). These topographical and thermodynamic features make peculiar conditions for the generation and development of cloud and precipitation, which can modulate the energy budget and atmospheric vertical structure through the heating and moistening effects (e.g., Luo & Yanai, 1984, 1984; Wang et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large‐Scale Circulation Environment and Microphysical Characteristics of the Cloud Systems Over the Tibetan Plateau in Boreal Summer

Chen

Yin

et al. 2020

Earth and Space Science

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The Tibetan Plateau (TP) experiences a particular dynamical and thermal environment due to its unique topography, which could affect the generation and development of its cloud and precipitation. Statistical results of 52-year daily precipitation (1961 to 2012) show that the most frequent daily precipitation is about 3 mm day −1 over the eastern TP (ETP) in the warm season while it is less than 1 mm day −1 over the western TP (WTP). Circulation patterns for rainy and rainless conditions over both the ETP and WTP are investigated. The results show that the rainy weather over the TP is usually related to the moisture transported from the warm ocean by the southerly flow. Moreover, rainy weather in WTP can only appear when the strong southerly flow prevails over the Indian subcontinent. When the south flow is weak, the rainy weather can still develop in ETP under favorable conditions due to the local madid environment. CloudSat observations show that the strong convective system can extend to a level as high as 16 km above the sea level with a favorable dynamical and thermal environment. However, the depth of most precipitating convective clouds over the TP is in a range of 6-9 km. Due to the wetter condition, the precipitating convective cloud holds a lower cloud base in August in ETP than WTP. Compared with other regions, the precipitating convective clouds in both the ETP and WTP are thinner in cloud depth, smaller in cloud particles and weaker in precipitation capacity.

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The role of rainfall in the thermal-moisture dynamics of the active layer at Beiluhe of Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

Cited by 54 publications

References 34 publications

Soil Temperature Dynamics at Hillslope Scale—Field Observation and Machine Learning-Based Approach

Soil Temperature Dynamics at Hillslope Scale—Field Observation and Machine Learning-Based Approach

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

Large‐Scale Circulation Environment and Microphysical Characteristics of the Cloud Systems Over the Tibetan Plateau in Boreal Summer

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