Article
Engineering, Civil
Xianmin Ke, Wei Wang, Wenfeng Huang, Fujun Niu, Zeyong Gao
Summary: Thermokarst lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have a significant impact on permafrost degradation and regional hydrological processes. Through-taliks play a crucial role in strengthening the connection between groundwater and lakes, altering groundwater circulation patterns. The acceleration of permafrost degradation is mainly attributed to thermal conduction and convection processes.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rui Wang, Lanlan Guo, Yuting Yang, Hao Zheng, Lianyou Liu, Hong Jia, Baijian Diao, Jifu Liu
Summary: The warming climate on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau leads to permafrost degradation and the formation of thermokarst lakes. These lakes exacerbate permafrost instability and have significant impacts on regional geomorphology and hydrology. However, their spatial distribution and future changes have rarely been assessed at large scales.
Article
Geography, Physical
Zhizhong Sun, Shujuan Zhang, Guoyu Li, Guilong Wu, Yongzhi Liu
Summary: Thermokarst lakes are widely distributed in permafrost regions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. Monitoring at a small alpine thermokarst lake in the Beiluhe Basin revealed the presence of permafrost beneath and around the lake, with thickening supra-permafrost taliks beneath the lake over time. Ground temperatures were higher beneath the lake compared to around it, with greater temperature increasing rates beneath the lake as well. The differences in ground temperatures between the lake bottom and natural ground surface are important for understanding thermal patterns beneath and around thermokarst lakes.
PERMAFROST AND PERIGLACIAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lan Li, Xindi Zhang, Xuan Li, Shufang Zhao, Wankui Ni, Zhenzhen Yang
Summary: A thermokarst lake is formed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau due to permafrost degradation and glacier retreat. The increase in thermokarst lakes has significant impacts on regional hydro-ecological equilibrium, permafrost temperature, and carbon cycle.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xianmin Ke, Yujiao Li, Wei Wang, Fujun Niu, Zeyong Gao
Summary: This study compared the chemical and hydrogeochemical characteristics of lake water and groundwater in a typical thermokarst lake region on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, revealing the variations in contribution of permafrost meltwater and precipitation to groundwater and lake water during different stages of active layer melting.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zixuan Ni, Xiangfei Lu, Guanwen Huang
Summary: Weather conditions significantly impact thermokarst lakes, with the total lake area mainly influenced by annual average temperature. The study used Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression to analyze this relationship, finding that the total area of typical thermokarst lakes increased annually. The selected thermokarst lake's surface area was found to be related to annual average temperature and wind speed.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mark J. Lara, Yaping Chen, Benjamin M. Jones
Summary: The study analyzed the drivers of gradual and catastrophic lake drainage in northern Alaska over 45 years using Landsat observations. Results showed that drivers of gradual drainage were mainly related to lake morphology and temperature, while catastrophic drainage was associated with thawing season length and precipitation.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Mei Mu, Cuicui Mu, Pengsi Lei, Xiaoxiao Mo, Yuan Qiao, Xu Chen, Hebin Liu
Summary: This study created a dataset of thermokarst lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using Google Earth Engine data and visual inspection. The study analyzed the temporal and spatial changes in the lakes and their relationship to environmental factors. The results showed that the number and surface area of thermokarst lakes in the region have increased over the past 30 years.
Article
Water Resources
Wei Wang, Jinlong Li, Xianmin Ke, Kai Chen, Zeyong Gao, Fujun Niu
Summary: The research highlights the regulation of permafrost degradation around thermokarst lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau by hydrodynamic condition variables, with different groundwater flow directions having varying impacts on the surrounding environment. Additionally, variations in the active layer thickness under different permeability conditions significantly influence the occurrence of open taliks at the lake bottom. These results underscore the critical importance of comprehensive consideration of relevant hydrologic processes for understanding environmental and ecological changes in cold environments.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Zeyong Gao, Fujun Niu, Yibo Wang, Zhanju Lin, Wei Wang
Summary: The dynamics of suprapermafrost groundwater play a crucial role in regulating hydrological processes in Arctic, boreal, and high-altitude regions. However, there have been limited studies focusing on these dynamics on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). This study observed soil hydraulic conductivities, saturated thicknesses, and related hydrological processes around a typical thermokarst lake on the QTP, revealing fluctuations in water table depths and contributions to lake water by suprapermafrost groundwater.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Zhida Xu, Liming Jiang, Rui Guo, Ronggang Huang, Zhiwei Zhou, Fujun Niu, Zhiping Jiao
Summary: Thermokarst lakes are formed by the degradation of ice-rich permafrost. This study used time series InSAR analysis to characterize the spatial-temporal variations of surface deformation in the Beiluhe Basin in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and extracted thermokarst lakes. The results showed that the density of thermokarst lakes is positively correlated with the linear subsidence rate, seasonal deformation amplitude, and active layer thickness.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuanhong Deng, Xiaoyan Li, Fangzhong Shi, Linna Chai, Shaojie Zhao, Mengkai Ding, Qiwen Liao
Summary: This study investigates the effects of over 160,000 thermokarst lakes (TLs) on the surrounding vegetation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The research finds that TLs can improve plant growth through increased water availability, but they also negatively impact the greenness of the surrounding vegetation. The study also reveals the nonlinear relationship between NDVI and lake moisture, contributing to a better understanding of the landscape.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
S. R. James, B. J. Minsley, J. W. McFarland, E. S. Euskirchen, C. W. Edgar, M. P. Waldrop
Summary: This study used geophysical and biogeochemical instruments to investigate subsurface processes in thermokarst environments, revealing phenomena such as higher unfrozen water content, high methane concentrations, and the presence of talik zones in permafrost soils near bog edges.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuxin Zhang, Changwei Xie, Tonghua Wu, Lin Zhao, Jichun Wu, Xiaodong Wu, Ren Li, Guojie Hu, Guangyue Liu, Wu Wang, Guiqian Yang
Summary: Most lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have expanded in recent years. This expansion has led to the bursting and overflowing of Zonag lake, resulting in a reduction in lake area. However, new permafrost is forming on the exposed lake bottom, and the growth rate is rapid. The simulation results suggest that the permafrost on the exposed bottom is likely to continue developing, with the growth rate influenced by surface temperature and annual amplitude.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Yuzhong Yang, Qingbai Wu, Fengjing Liu, Huijun Jin
Summary: This study characterized the hydrological transitions and water balance of thermokarst lakes in the Source Area of Yellow River on a large scale using stable isotope method, revealing significant spatial and seasonal deviations in hydrological processes. The seasonal water balance of thermokarst lakes in the region is combatively controlled by air temperature, precipitation regimes, and permafrost degradation. Future hydrological trajectories of these lakes are expected to change under climatic warming and permafrost degradation.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)