Evaluating the Impact of Soil Enthalpy upon the Thawing Process of the Active Layer in Permafrost Regions of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Using CLM5.0

Abstract

The hydrothermal dynamics of the active layer is a key issue in the study of surface processes in permafrost regions. Even though the soil energy budget is controlled by thermal conduction and latent heat transfer, few studies have focused on their effects upon the active layer thickness (ALT). In the present study, the community land model (CLM) version 5.0 is used to simulate the soil temperature and moisture of the active layers at the Tanggula (TGL) and Beiluhe (BLH) stations in permafrost regions of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau based on the theory of soil enthalpy in order to estimate the soil energy state and analyze the energy changes in the active layer during freezing and thawing. The results indicate that the soil enthalpy has significant seasonal variation characteristics, which accurately reflected the freezing and thawing processes of the active layer. The change in soil enthalpy is significantly related to the thawing depth of the active layer in TGL and BLH, and its changing process can be expressed as an exponential relationship. Near the surface, the variation of the energy due to temperature gradient and actual evaporation can also be expressed as an exponential relationship. The promoting effect of heat conduction on the ALT is greater than the inhibiting effect of latent heat transfer, with the energy contribution from the phase change accounting for about 20–40% of the energy due to the temperature gradient. The thawing depth increases by 14.16–18.62 cm as the energy due to the temperature gradient increases by 1 MJ/m2 and decreases by 2.75–7.16 cm as the energy due to the phase change increases by 1 MJ/m2. Thus, the present study quantifies the effects of soil energy upon the ALT and facilitates an understanding of the hydrothermal processes in soils in permafrost regions.