Abstract
Desertification of tundra regions may form an escalating cycle with permafrost degradation where more permafrost thaw leads to continued desertification. This traditional viewpoint has been challenged in recent reports that state desertification protects the underlying permafrost. However, our measurements of soil temperature from nine sites in the Honglianghe River Basin, interior Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, show that desertification can degrade permafrost. If one compares the permafrost temperatures at sites with thin sand covers (e.g. site Yu-7, permafrost temperature of −0.64 °C; site Yu-6, permafrost temperature of −1.15 °C) with that of site Xie-1 (−0.65 °C, with a 120-cm-thick sand cover), the permafrost temperature is not significantly different. It is clear that a thick sand cover does not influence the underlying permafrost temperature. Our observations support traditional geocryological knowledge which states that, under most circumstances, desertification does not protect, but rather degrades, permafrost.
Highlights
Permafrost is defined as ground that remains continuously at or below 0 °C for at least two consecutive years[1]
We review the relationships between land desertification and permafrost degradation at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and discusses the spatial distribution of permafrost on the QTP
It is clear that the mean daily and mean annual ground temperatures change with the thickness of the sand cover; as the thickness of the sand cover increases, the soil temperature decreases
Summary
Permafrost is defined as ground that remains continuously at or below 0 °C for at least two consecutive years[1]. The effect of permafrost degradation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau dries the ground surfaces because the active layer usually thickens, the permafrost table lowers and vegetation becomes more fragmented and sparse. A number of recent studies[26,27,28] have concluded that a surface cover of wind-blown sand protects the underlying permafrost on the QTP. These studies are based on short-term data from only one field site and are in conflict with traditional geocryological knowledge[20, 21, 29, 30]. The geographical information, sand cover, permafrost temperature and www.nature.com/scientificreports/
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