Long-Term Thermal Effects of Air Convection Embankments in Permafrost Zones: Case Study of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway, China
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 32, Issue 4
Abstract
Long-term thermal effects of air convection embankments (ACEs) over 550-km-long permafrost zones along the Qinghai–Tibet railway were analyzed on the basis of 14-year records (2002–2016) of ground temperature. The results showed that, after embankment construction, permafrost tables beneath the ACEs moved upward quickly in the first 3 years and then remained stable over the next 10 years. The magnitude of this upward movement showed a positive correlation with embankment thickness. Shallow permafrost temperature beneath the ACEs decreased over a 5-year period after embankment construction in cold permafrost zones, but increased sharply concurrent with permafrost table upward movement in warm permafrost zones. Deep permafrost beneath all the ACEs showed a slow warming trend due to climate warming. Overall, the thermal effects of ACEs significantly uplifted underlying permafrost tables after embankment construction and then maintained them well in a warming climate. The different thermal effects of ACEs in cold and warm permafrost zones related to the working principle of the ACEs and natural ground thermal regime in the two zones.
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Acknowledgments
This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41772325, 41630636), the National key Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2012CB026106), and the Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering (Grant Nos. SKLFSE-ZY-17). The authors are grateful for two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and constructive suggestions. The authors also thank the editor coordinator, the associate editor, and the editor for their kind help in the revision of the manuscript.
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Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 32 • Issue 4 • December 2018
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©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 21, 2017
Accepted: Apr 10, 2018
Published online: Jul 18, 2018
Published in print: Dec 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Dec 18, 2018
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