Characteristics of water and heat change during the freezing-thawing process at an alpine steppe in seasonally frozen ground of the Northern Tibetan plateau

Abstract

Introduction: Permafrost and seasonally frozen soil are widely distributed on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, and the freezing–thawing cycle can lead to frequent phase changes in soil water, which can have important impacts on ecosystems.Methods: To understand the process of soil freezing-thawing and to lay the foundation for grassland ecosystems to cope with complex climate change, this study analyzed and investigated the hydrothermal data of Xainza Station on the Northern Tibet from November 2019 to October 2021.Results and Discussion: The results showed that the fluctuation of soil temperature showed a cyclical variation similar to a sine (cosine) curve; the deep soil temperature change was not as drastic as that of the shallow soil, and the shallow soil had the largest monthly mean temperature in September and the smallest monthly mean temperature in January. The soil water content curve was U-shaped; with increased soil depth, the maximum and minimum values of soil water content had a certain lag compared to that of the shallow soil. The daily freezing-thawing of the soil lasted 179 and 198 days and the freezing-thawing process can be roughly divided into the initial freezing period (November), the stable freezing period (December–early February), the early ablation period (mid-February to March), and the later ablation period (March–end of April), except for the latter period when the average temperature of the soil increased with the increase in depth. The trend of water content change with depth at all stages of freezing-thawing was consistent, and negative soil temperature was one of the key factors affecting soil moisture. This study is important for further understanding of hydrothermal coupling and the mechanism of the soil freezing-thawing process.