Cooling and wetting of soil decelerated ground freezing–thawing processes of the active layer in Xing'an permafrost regions in Northeast China

Abstract

The accelerated or decelerated freezing–thawing processes of the active layer in Xing'an permafrost regions are crucial for the protection of permafrost. To better understand the freezing–thawing processes of the active layer and its driving factors, according to the observation from 2017 to 2020 of soil temperature and water content in the active layer of forest and peatland in two representative hemiboreal ecosystems in the Da Xing'anling Mountains, Northeast China, the study explored in detail the effects of climatic conditions and local factors on the hydrothermal and freezing–thawing processes of active layer soils. The results showed that during the freezing–thawing cycles of 2017–2020, freezing and thawing start times in the peatland and forest ecosystems soils were generally delayed, and it took longer for the active layer soil to completely thaw than to freeze. The annual average soil temperature in the peatland's active layer (5–80 cm) was 0.7–2.0 °C lower than that in the forest, and the annual average soil moisture content on the peatland was 5.5%–26.7% higher than that in the forest. Compared with the forest ecosystem soils, the ground surface freezing time of the peatland was delayed by 3–10 d, and the freezing rate decreased by 1.1–1.5 cm d−1, while the beginning time of thawing was advanced by 22–27 d, and the thawing rate decreased by 1.3–1.4 cm d−1. In the process of decreasing soil temperature and increasing soil moisture content, the freezing and thawing rate of the active layer would be reduced, decelerating the freezing–thawing processes of the active layer in the process of decreasing soil temperature and increasing soil moisture content. The results provide the key original data for studying the formation and evolution of active layer and permafrost in the Xing'an permafrost regions in Northeast China and can be used to validate the prediction of ecosystem succession under the combined influences of climate change and permafrost degradation.