Long-term responses of permafrost to the dual impacts of climate warming and engineering disturbance along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway

The sensitivity of near-surface permafrost to both climate warming and engineering disturbance is widely acknowledged. However, long-term responses of permafrost to the dual impacts of climate warming and engineering disturbances remain poorly understood. Using a 20-year dataset of ground temperature under roadway and natural ground surface, in this study the authors not only identify the thermal impacts of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, in addition to those of climate warming, but also quantify the differences between these two impacts. The results show that variation rate of permafrost table under the highway was approximately 3.3 to 11.1 times greater than that under natural ground surface, along with a significant warming rate of permafrost under the highway. Under the dual thermal impacts of climate warming and engineering disturbances, the duration of ground frozen state at a depth of 0.5 m under roadway is 38.5 ± 6.36% shorter than that under natural ground surface. Meanwhile, rising rate of ground temperature at depth of 0.5 m beneath the asphaltic road surface is 51.7 ± 14.46% faster than that beneath the natural ground surface. This work underscores the importance for correctly understanding the response mechanisms and mitigative measures for hazards resulting from the dual impacts of climate warming and engineering disturbances, particularly by altering the heat absorption effect of asphalt pavement and by utilizing the roadbed cooling approaches.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2024.104135
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165232X24000168
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0165232X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2024 Published by Elsevier B.V. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Jiang, Guanli
  • Fu, Ziteng
  • Gao, Siru
  • Zhao, Hongting
  • Chen, Ji
  • Liu, Yongzhi
  • Wu, Qingbai
• Publication Date: 2024-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 104135
• Serial:
  • Cold Regions Science and Technology
  • Volume: 220
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0165-232X
  • Serial URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0165232X?sdc=2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Global warming; Highway engineering; Permafrost; Temperature; Thaw
• Identifier Terms: Qinghai-Tibet Highway
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01910560
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 29 2024 5:01PM