UAV-based spatiotemporal thermal patterns of permafrost slopes along the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor

Abstract

Thermal infrared remote sensing technology based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was applied to estimate the spatial distribution of ground surface temperatures on permafrost slopes and evaluate the thermal influence of nearby engineering infrastructure. This paper presents a method that uses a miniature UAV with a thermal infrared sensor to collect thermal images with high temporal–spatial resolution. Moreover, spatial analysis is used to effectively evaluate the relationship between engineering infrastructure and permafrost slopes in the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC), China. To test the method, aerial measurements were collected from 11:00 to 17:00 in July and August of 2017 at two permafrost slopes along the QTEC, where the Qinghai–Tibet Highway (QTH), Qinghai–Tibet Railway (QTR), and electric towers were built on permafrost slopes. The differences of ground surface temperature between the highway and the surrounding soil were largest at 11:00 and 17:00; the differences were smaller at noon to approximately 15:00 when the difference was minimal, and the differences began to increase after 15:00. The distances of the thermal influence of the highway, railway, and electric towers on the surrounding permafrost slopes are approximately 12–14, 8–10, and 2–4 m, respectively. The results indicate that the degree of influence of engineering structures on permafrost slopes is as follows: QTH > QTR > electric towers. This study is the first to use UAV-based thermal infrared remote sensing to evaluate the thermal dynamics of permafrost slopes along the QTEC. These results may provide new insights into the future design, construction, and maintenance of engineering structures on permafrost slopes.