TY  - JOUR
AU  - Chen, Yuhong
AU  - Nan, Zhuotong
AU  - Zhao, Shuping
ID  - ref1
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024//
TI  - Bare Patches Created by Plateau Pikas Contribute to Warming Permafrost on the Tibet Plateau
JO  - Geophysical Research Letters
SP  - e2024GL108976
VL  - 51
IS  - 11
AB  - Abstract Plateau pikas, small mammals native to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), create bare patches through burrowing. No previous assessment exists on their impact on permafrost. This study fills this gap by simulating hypothetical scenarios in the Three Rivers Headwaters Region of the QTP using the Noah-MP model for the plant growing seasons during 2015–2018. Our findings reveal a significant increase in soil temperature in the active layer due to pika-induced bare patches, particularly during July–August. The average temperature rise at 2.5 cm depth was 0.36°C in permafrost regions and 0.29°C in seasonally frozen ground regions during August. Minimal impact on unfrozen water content was observed, with a slight increase in deep soil layers in permafrost regions, and negligible in seasonally frozen areas. These findings underscore the previously unexplored influence of pika burrowing on permafrost temperature, suggesting a potential risk of accelerating permafrost degradation, especially in permafrost-dominated regions.
SN  - 0094-8276
UR  - https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2024GL108976
ID  - ref2
ER  -