Dynamics of Active Layer on Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

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The dynamics of the active layer in the permafrost region of the Qinghai-Xizang-Plateau (China) shall be studied by (i) exploration using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) at scales up to 1 km and (ii) by high-resolution monitoring of three characteristic sites at scales of meters. This is the German part of a cooperative project with the Cold & Arid Regions Environment and Engineering Research Instiute (CATEERI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Lanzhou. In the initial phase, GPR is used for the identification of the eventual monitoring sites. In later phases, the seasonal ice table and, if existent, the ground ice table, are mapped periodically during three field campaigns. For reliable quantitative results, an inversion algorithm for an existing Maxwell-solver will be developed in this project. The high-resolution monitoring sites will comprise (i) a site with stable permafrost as a reference (ii) a transient natural site to study decay in detail, and (iii) a site near the embankment of the road or of the railway to assess the impact of manmade constructions. Each site will be instrumented with an array of sensors for subsurface temperature and liquid water, meterological parameters and radiation components. Based on the data, simplifield quantitative models of the thermal and hydraulic dynamics of the active layer will be developted.