Abstract
Snow cover is characterized by the high albedo, low thermal conductivity, and notable heat transition during phase changes. Thus, snow cover significantly affects the ground thermal regime. A comparison of the snow cover in high latitudes or high-altitude snowy mountain regions indicates that the eastern Tianshan Mountains (China) show a characteristically thin snow cover (snow depth below 15 cm) with remarkable temporal variability. Based on snow depth, heat flux, and ground temperature from 2014 to 2015 in the Urumqi River source, the spatialtemporal characteristics of snow cover and snow cover influences on the thermal conditions of active layer in the permafrost area were analyzed. During the autumn (Sept. - Oct.), thin and discontinuous snow cover can noticeably accelerate the exothermic process of the ground, producing a cooling effect on the shallow soil. During the winter (Nov. - Mar.), it is inferred that the effective thermal insulation starts with snow depth exceeding 10 cm during early winter. However, the snow depth in this area is generally below 15 cm, and the resulting snow-induced thermal insulation during the winter is very limited. Due to common heavy snowfalls in the spring (Apr. to May), the monthly mean snow thickness in April reached to 15 cm and remained until mid-May. Snow cover during the spring significantly retarded the ground warming. Broadly, snow cover in the study area exerts a cooling effect on the active layer and plays a positive role in the development and preservation of permafrost.
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The research reported in this manuscript is funded by Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Science-“Pan-Third Pole Environment Change Study for Green Silk Road Development” (XDA20020102) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants Nos. 41101065 and 41690144). The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions to improve the quality of the paper.
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Zhao, Jy., Chen, J., Wu, Qb. et al. Snow cover influences the thermal regime of active layer in Urumqi River Source, Tianshan Mountains, China. J. Mt. Sci. 15, 2622–2636 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-4856-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-4856-y