Changes in the depths of seasonal freezing and thawing and their effects on vegetation in the Three-River Headwater Region of the Tibetan Plateau  

作　　者：WANG Rui DONG Zhi-bao ZHOU Zheng-chao 

机构地区：[1]School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University

出　　处：《Journal of Mountain Science》2019年第12期2810-2827,共18页山地科学学报（英文）

基　　金：funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41807061);Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (2018M633454);Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (GK201803046);National Science Foundation of China (41930641);National Key Research and Development Plan of China (2017YFC0504702)

摘　　要：Frozen ground degradation plays an important role in vegetation growth and activity in high-altitude cold regions.This study estimated the spatiotemporal variations in the active layer thickness(ALT)of the permafrost region and the soil freeze depth(SFD)in the seasonally frozen ground region across the Three Rivers Source Region(TRSR)from 1980 to 2014 using the Stefan equation,and differentiated the effects of these variations on alpine vegetation in these two regions.The results showed that the average ALT from 1980 to 2014 increased by23.01 cm/10 a,while the average SFD decreased by 3.41 cm/10 a,and both changed intensively in the transitional zone between the seasonally frozen ground and permafrost.From 1982-2014,the increase in the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)and the advancement of the start of the vegetation growing season(SOS)in the seasonally frozen ground region(0.0078/10 a,1.83 d/10 a)were greater than those in the permafrost region(0.0057/10 a,0.39 d/10 a).The results of the correlation analysis indicated that increases in the ALT and decreases in the SFD in the TRSR could lead to increases in the NDVI and advancement of the SOS.Surface soil moisture played a critical role in vegetation growth in association with the increasing ALT and decreasing SFD.The NDVI for all vegetation types in the TRSR except for alpine vegetation showed an increasing trend that was significantly related to the SFD and ALT.During the study period,the general frozen ground conditions were favorable to vegetation growth,while the average contributions of ALT and SFD to the interannual variation in the NDVI were greater than that of precipitation but less than that of temperature.Frozen ground degradation plays an important role in vegetation growth and activity in high-altitude cold regions. This study estimated the spatiotemporal variations in the active layer thickness(ALT) of the permafrost region and the soil freeze depth(SFD) in the seasonally frozen ground region across the Three Rivers Source Region(TRSR) from 1980 to 2014 using the Stefan equation, and differentiated the effects of these variations on alpine vegetation in these two regions. The results showed that the average ALT from 1980 to 2014 increased by23.01 cm/10 a, while the average SFD decreased by 3.41 cm/10 a, and both changed intensively in the transitional zone between the seasonally frozen ground and permafrost. From 1982-2014, the increase in the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)and the advancement of the start of the vegetation growing season(SOS) in the seasonally frozen ground region(0.0078/10 a, 1.83 d/10 a) were greater than those in the permafrost region(0.0057/10 a,0.39 d/10 a). The results of the correlation analysis indicated that increases in the ALT and decreases in the SFD in the TRSR could lead to increases in the NDVI and advancement of the SOS. Surface soil moisture played a critical role in vegetation growth in association with the increasing ALT and decreasing SFD. The NDVI for all vegetation types in the TRSR except for alpine vegetation showed an increasing trend that was significantly related to the SFD and ALT. During the study period, the general frozen ground conditions were favorable to vegetation growth, while the average contributions of ALT and SFD to the interannual variation in the NDVI were greater than that of precipitation but less than that of temperature.

关 键 词：Frozen soil depth Active layer thickness Alpine vegetation Climate warming Three Rivers Source Region 

分 类 号：Q94[生物学—植物学]