Thermal impacts of engineering activities on permafrost in different alpine ecosystems in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Climate warming and engineering activities have various impacts on the thermal regime of permafrost in alpine ecosystems of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Using recent observations of permafrost thermal regimes along the Qinghai–Tibet Highway and Railway, the change of such regimes beneath embankments constructed in alpine meadows and steppes are studied. The results show that alpine meadows on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau can have a controlling role within engineering construction effects on permafrost beneath embankments. The artificial permafrost table (APT) beneath embankments is predominantly controlled by alpine ecosystems, but the change rate of APT is not closely related with those ecosystems; it is mainly related with cooling effects of railway ballast and heat absorption effects of asphalt pavement. Variation of soil temperature beneath embankments is independent of alpine ecosystems, but variation of mean annual soil temperature with depth is closely related to those ecosystems. The vegetation layer in alpine meadows can have an insulation role within engineering activity effects on permafrost beneath embankments. This insulation role is an advantage for alleviating permafrost temperature rise in the short term, but a disadvantage in the long term because of climate warming, suggesting that vegetation layer in alpine meadow should be removed upon initiating engineering construction.