Spatial–Temporal Characteristics of Freezing/Thawing Index and Permafrost Distribution in Heilongjiang Province, China

Chengjie Song, Changlei Dai (), Yaqi Gao, Chuang Wang, Miao Yu, Weiming Tu, Minghui Jia and Ruotong Li
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Chengjie Song: Institute of Groundwater in Cold Regions, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Changlei Dai: Institute of Groundwater in Cold Regions, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Yaqi Gao: Institute of Groundwater in Cold Regions, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Chuang Wang: Institute of Groundwater in Cold Regions, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Miao Yu: China and Russian Cold Region Hydrology and Water Conservancy Engineering Joint Laboratory, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Weiming Tu: Institute of Groundwater in Cold Regions, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Minghui Jia: Institute of Groundwater in Cold Regions, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Ruotong Li: Institute of Groundwater in Cold Regions, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: Under the trend of climate warming, the high-latitude permafrost in Heilongjiang Province is becoming seriously degraded. The question of how to quantitatively analyze the spatial and temporal trends of multi-year permafrost has become fundamental for current permafrost research. In this study, the temporal and spatial variations of annual mean air temperature (MAAT), annual mean ground temperature (MAGST) and freezing/thawing index based on air and surface temperature data from 34 meteorological stations in Heilongjiang Province from 1971–2019, as well as the variation characteristics of permafrost distribution, were analyzed based on the freezing index model. The results showed that both MAAT and MAGST in Heilongjiang Province tended to decrease with the increase of altitude and latitude. For interannual variation, the MAAT and MAGST warming rates tended to be consistent across Heilongjiang Province, with multi-year variation from −8.64 to 5.60 °C and from −6.52 to 7.58 °C, respectively. From 1971–2019, the mean annual air freezing index (AFI) and ground surface freezing index (GFI) declined at −5.07 °C·d·a −1 and −5.04 °C·d·a −1 , respectively, whereas the mean annual air thawing index (ATI) and ground surface thawing index (GTI) were elevated at 7.63 °C·d·a −1 and 11.89 °C·d·a −1 , respectively. The spatial distribution of the multiyear mean AFI, ATI, GFI and GTI exhibited a latitudinal trend, whereas the effect of altitude in the northern mountainous areas was greater than that of latitude. Permafrost was primarily discovered in the Daxing’an and Xiaoxing’an Mountains in the north, and sporadically in the central mountainous regions. The southern boundary of permafrost shifted nearly 2° to the north from 1970 to 2010s, while the southern boundary of permafrost in Heilongjiang Province was stable at nearly 51° N. The total area of permafrost narrowed from 1.11 × 10 5 km 2 in the 1970s to 6.53 × 10 4 km 2 in the 2010s. The results of this study take on a critical significance for the analysis of the trend of perennial permafrost degradation at high latitudes in Heilongjiang Province and the whole northeastern China, as well as for mapping the distribution of large areas of permafrost using the freezing index model. This study provides a reference for natural cold resource development, ecological protection, climate change and engineering construction and maintenance in permafrost areas.

Keywords: Heilongjiang province; freezing/thawing index; permafrost; spatial–temporal distribution; southern boundary of permafrost (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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