A system for automated monitoring of embankment deformation along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in permafrost regions

At present, the monitoring of embankment deformation in permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is mainly done manually. However, the harsh climate on the plateau affects the results greatly by lowering the observation frequency, so the manual monitoring can barely meet the observational demand. This research develops a system of automated monitoring of embankment deformation, and aims to address the problems caused by the plateau climate and the perma- frost conditions in the region. The equipment consists of a monitoring module, a data collection module, a transmission module, and a data processing module. The field experiments during this program indicate that （1） the combined auto- mated monitoring device overcame the problems associated with the complicated and tough plateau environment by means of wireless transmission and automatic analysis of the embankment settlement data; （2） the calibration of the combined settlement gauge at -20 ℃ was highly accurate, with an error rate always 〈0.5%; （3） the gauge calibration at high-temperature conditions was also highly accurate, with an error rate 〈0.5% even though the surface of the instrument reached more than 50 ℃; and （4） compared with the data manually taken, the data automatically acquired during field monitoring experiments demonstrated that the combined settlement gauge and the automated monitoring system could meet the requirements of the monitoring mission in permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Analysis of the Cooling Mechanism of a Crushed Rock Embankment in Warm and Lower Temperature Permafrost Regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Based on data monitored in situ and theoretical analysis,the characteristics of the temperature field and mechanism of thermal conduction of a crushed rock embankment were studied along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.The results of experi-ments in the field revealed that the cooling effect of a crushed rock embankment is influenced mainly by the natural con-vection in winter and shield effect in summer,the ventilation of crushed rocks,and the ground temperature regime be-neath the embankment.Consequently,these three factors should be taken into account in numerical simulations,but it is as a result of natural convection only.

Automatic testing system design and data analysis of permafrost temperature in Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Aimed at the characteristics of permafrost temperature influencing the safety of Qinghai-Tibet Railway and its on-line testing system, comparing the achievement of permafrost study nationwide with those worldwide, an automatic testing system of permafrost temperature, containing a master computer and some slave computers, was designed. By choosing high-precise thermistors as temperature sensor, designing and positioning the depth and interval of testing sections, testing, keeping and sending permafrost temperature data at time over slave computers, and receiving, processing and analyzing the data of collecting permafrost temperature over master computer, the change of the permafrost temperature can be described and analyzed, which can provide information for permafrost railway engineering design. Moreover, by taking permafrost temperature testing in a certain section of Qinghai-Tibet Railway as an instance, the collected data of permafrost temperature were analyzed, and the effect of permafrost behavior was depicted under the railway, as well as, a BP model was set up to predict the permafrost characteristics. This testing system will provide information timely about the change of the permafrost to support the safety operation in Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Thermal features of Qinghai-Tibet Railway Embankment with Crushed-stone Slope Protection in Permafrost Regions

The Embankment with Crushed-Stone Slope Protection(ECSSP) in permafrost regions is an effective measure to cool subgrade and protect permafrost.It can mitigate the engineering hazards of the Qinghai-Tibet railway in the permafrost regions. Considering the influence of the noctumal cold air during summer months in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau。

Thermal stability of permafrost under U-shaped crushed rock embankment of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

The U-shaped crushed rock embankment(UCRE),of which widely utilized in the permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway,has the capability to rapidly reduce the ground temperature of the underlying permafrost.However,there remains uncertainty regarding the adaptation of UCRE to climate change and its long-term cooling trend.This study focuses on nine UCRE monitoring sites along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to analyze the dynamic variations of the ground temperature underlying permafrost from 2006 to 2020.The efficiency of UCRE in stabilizing permafrost temperature in different permafrost zones is evaluated by considering the permafrost table,ground temperature,and MAGT,as well as the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the crushed rock layer and the ground temperature variation index(GTVI).The results show that UCRE is suitable for application in extremely unstable warm permafrost regions where the MAGT is higher than-0.5℃.Moreover,UCRE effectively diminishes the disparity in permafrost thermal stability between the sunny and shaded shoulders of the embankment.The short-term and long-term effect of cooling permafrost is experiencing a change related with permafrost stability.Notably,in stable cold permafrost regions with MAGT lower than-1.5℃,the long-term cooling effect of UCRE on permafrost seems to gradually di-minishes,but UCRE continues to fulfill the role of stabilizing the underlying permafrost thermal state over the long-term.These results show that UCRE can quickly restore and stabilize the thermal state of permafrost in the early stages of construction,and adapt to the influence of future climate change.The findings provide important guidance for understanding the variations of permafrost thermal stability beneath the embankment in permafrost regions,as well as for improving the embankment stability and operational safety of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Significant lake expansion has accelerated permafrost degradation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

In recent years, lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have become more responsive to climate change. In September 2011, Zonag Lake in Hoh Xil experienced sudden drainage, the water eventually flowed into Yanhu Lake, which caused Yanhu Lake to continue to expand. The potential collapse of Yanhu Lake could directly threaten the operational safety of the adjacent Qinghai-Tibet Highway, Qinghai-Tibet Railway. To explore the implications of expanding lakes on the surrounding permafrost, we selected Hoh Xil Yanhu Lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to study the effect of lake expansion on permafrost degradation. The permafrost degradation in the Yanhu Lake basin from October 2017 to December 2022 was inverted using Sentinel-1 satellite image data and small baseline subset interferometry synthetic aperture radar(SBAS-In SAR) technology. Additionally, permafrost degradation from February 2007 and February 2010 was analyzed using advanced land observing satellite phased array-type L-band synthetic aperture radar(ALOS PALSAR) satellite images and differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar(D-In SAR) technique. The results showed that the permafrost around Yanhu Lake experienced accelerated degradation. Prior to the expansion of Yanhu Lake, the average annual deformation rate along the line of sight(LOS) direction was 6.7 mm/yr. After the expansion, the rate increased to 20.9 mm/yr. The integration of spatial-temporal distribution maps of surface subsidence, Wudaoliang borehole geothermal data, meteorological data, Yanhu Lake surface area changes, and water level changes supports the assertion that the intensified permafrost degradation could be attributed to lake expansion rather than the rising air temperature. Furthermore, permafrost degradation around Yanhu Lake could impact vital infrastructure such as the adjacent Qinghai-Tibet Highway and Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Applying the AHP-FUZZY method to evaluate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: a case study of Chaidaer-Muli Railway

This article attempts to investigate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As a case study, Chaidaer-Muli Railway is used to evaluate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions. The AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process) method is thus employed to establish the evaluation indicator system. The evaluation factor is selected by analyzing the mutual relation between the permafrost environment and roadbed engineering. Thus, a hierarchical structure model is established based on the selected evaluation indices. Each factor is weighted to determine the status in the evaluation system, and grading standards are built for providing a basis for the evaluation. Then, the fuzzy mathematical method is introduced to evaluate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions along the Chadaer-Muli Railway. Results show that most of the permafrost roadbed is in a preferable condition(b) along the Chaidaer-Muli Railway due to rubble engineering measures. This proportion reaches to 86.1%. The proportion in good(a), general(c) and poor states(d) are 0.0%, 7.5% and 6.4%, respectively, in all the evaluation sections along the Chaidaer-Muli Railway. Ground-temperature monitoring results are generally consistent with AHP-FUZZY evaluation results. This means that the AHP-FUZZY method can be applied to evaluate the effect of rubble roadbed engineering measures in permafrost regions. The effect evaluation of engineering measures will provide timely and effective feedback information for further engineering design. The series of engineering measures will more effectively protect permafrost stability.

Dynamic behavior of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway embankment in permafrost regions under trained-induced vertical loads

The unfrozen water content and ice content of frozen soil change continuously with varying temperatures,resulting in the temperature dependence of mechanical properties of frozen soil.Thus the dynamic behavior of embankment in permafrost regions under train loading also alters with seasons.Based on a series of strong-motion tests that were carried out on the traditional embankment of Qinghai-Tibet Railway(QTR)in permafrost regions,the acceleration waveforms recorded at the embankment shoulder and slope toes were obtained.Testing results show an obvious attenuation effect on the vertical train loading from road shoulder to slope toes.Furthermore,numerical simulations of a traditional embankment under vertical train loading in different seasons were conducted,and the dynamic behavior of the embankment was described.The results show that the vibration attenuation in the cold season is greater than that in the warm season.The maximum acceleration of vibration drops to about 5%when the train vibration load is transferred through the embankment into the permafrost,and the high-frequency components are absorbed when the vibration transmits downward.Moreover,the dynamic stress under the dynamic train loading decreases exponentially with an increasing depth in different seasons.The results can be a reference for design and maintenance of embankments in permafrost regions.

Porosity of crushed rock layer and its impact on thermal regime of Qinghai-Tibet Railway embankment

It has been proven that crushed rock layers used in roadbed construction in permafrost regions have a cooling effect. The main reason is the existence of large porosity of the rock layers. However, due to the strong winds, cold and high radiation conditions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP), both wind-blown sand and/or weathered rock debris blockage might reduce the porosity of the rock layers, resulting in weakening the cooling effect of the crushed rock layer(CRL) in the crushed rock embankment(CRE) of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway(QTR) in the permafrost regions. Such a process might warm the underlying permafrost, and further lead to potential threat to the QTR's integrity and stability. The different porosities corresponding to the different equivalent rock diameters were measured in the laboratory using water saturation method, and an empirical exponential equation between porosity and equivalent rock diameter was proposed based on the measured experimental data and an important finding is observed in our and other experiments that the larger size crushed rock tends to lead to the larger porosity when arbitrarily packing. Numerical tests were carried out to study impacts of porosity on permafrost degradation and differential thaw depths between the sunny and shady shoulders. The results show that the decrease in porosity due to wind-blown sand or weathered rock debris clogging can worsen the permafrost degradation and lead to the asymmetric thermal regime. In the traditional embankment(without the CRL within it), the largest differential thaw depth can reach up to 3.1 m. The optimized porosity appears in a range from 34% to 42% corresponding to equivalent rock diameter from 10 to 20.5 cm. The CRE with the optimized porosities can make underlying permafrost stable and 0 ℃ isotherms symmetric in the coming 50 years, even under the condition that the climate warming can lead to permafrost degradation under the CRE and the traditional embankment. Some practical implications were proposed to benefit the future design, construction and maintenance of CRE in permafrost regions.

Influence of Golmud-Lhasa Section of Qinghai-Tibet Railway on Blown Sand Transport

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway(QTR) passes through 281 km of sandy land, 11.07 km of which causes serious sand damage to the railway and thus, the control of blown sand is important for the safe operation of the railway. Construction of the railway and sand prevention system greatly changed the blown sand transport of the primary surface. Effective and feasible sand-control measures include stone checkerboard barriers(SCBs), sand fences(SFs), and gravel coverings. This study simulated the embankments, SCBs and SFs of the QTR in a wind tunnel, and analyzed their respective wind profile, sand deposition, and sand-blocking rate(SBR) in conjunction with field data, aiming at studying the influence of Golmud-Lhasa section of the QTR and sand prevention system on blown sand transport. The results of wind tunnel experiments showed that wind speed increased by 67.7%–77.3% at the upwind shoulder of the embankment and decreased by 50.0%–83.3% at upwind foot of embankment. Wind speed decreased by 50.0%–100.0% after passing through the first SF, and 72.2%–100.0% after the first row of stones within the first SCB grid. In the experiment of sand deposition, the higher the wind speed, the lower the SBR of SCB and SF. From field investigation, the amount of sand blocked by the four SFs decreased exponentially and its SBR was about 50.0%. By contrast, SCB could only block lower amounts of sand, but had a higher SBR(96.7%) than SF. Although, results show that SFs and SCBs along the Golmud-Lhasa section of the QTR provide an obvious sand blocking effect, they lead to the deposition of a large amount of sand, which forms artificial dunes and becomes a new source of sand damage.

Effect of climate change and railway embankment on the degradation of underlain permafrost

Because of the global warming and the increasing human activity, the air temperature and the precipitation along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway increased gradually in recent years, which endanger the permafrost table, the embankment of the railway. The statistics of the air temperature, the precipitation and the geothermal temperature in recent 50 years in this dissertation come from the four weather station along the railway, that are Wudaoliang Station, Fenghuo Mountains Sta- tion, Tuotuo River Station and Ando Station. This dissertation analyzes the change of climate along the railway and then develops a research on the effect of the changing geothermal temperature on permafrost table and its countermeasures. The experiment result shows that the air temperature of the permafrost region rise steadily in about 50 years, especially in this century, the tendency of rising temperature is more obvious. The precipitation fluctuates but it is also rising rapidly, for the largest precipitation reached 492.6 mm. For 30 years now, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been in the megathermal period, which also affects the permafrost region along the railway. The condition of permafrost is degrading greatly.

Impact of permafrost degradation on embankment deformation of Qinghai-Tibet Highway in permafrost regions

Based on long-term monitoring data, the relationships between permafrost degradation and embankment deformation are analyzed along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway(QTH). Due to heat absorbing effect of asphalt pavement and climate warming,permafrost beneath asphalt pavement experienced significant warming and degradation. During the monitoring period, warming amplitude of the soil at depth of 5 m under asphalt ranged from 0.21 °C at the XD1 site to 0.5 °C at the KL1 site. And at depth of 10 m, the increase amplitude of ground temperature ranged from 0.47 °C at the NA1 site to 0.07 °C at the XD1 site. Along with ground temperature increase, permafrost table beneath asphalt pavement decline considerably. Amplitude of permafrost table decline varied from 0.53 m at the KL1 site to 3.51 m at the NA1 site, with mean amplitude of 1.65 m for 8 monitoring sites during the monitoring period. Due to permafrost warming and degradation, the embankment deformation all performed as settlement at these sites. At present, those settlements still develop quickly and are expected to continue to increase in the future. The embankment deformations can be divided into homogeneous deformation and inhomogeneous deformation. Embankment longitudinal inhomogeneous deformation causes the wave deformations and has adverse effects on driving comfort and safety, while lateral inhomogeneous deformation causes longitudinal cracks and has an adverse effect on stability. Corresponding with permafrost degradation processes,embankment settlement can be divided into four stages. For QTH, embankment settlement is mainly comprised of thawing consolidation of ice-rich permafrost and creep of warming permafrost beneath permafrost table.

Impact of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on Population Genetic Structure of the Toad-Headed Lizard,Phrynocephalus vlangalii

Using data from nine microsatellite DNA loci and a population genetic approach,we evaluate the barrier effect of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on toad-headed lizard,Phrynocephalus vlangalii. The study area is along a 20 km stretch of the railway on northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,and this section of the railway was constructed between 1958–1979. Both assignment tests and analysis of molecular variance(AMOVA) were used for data analysis. We found significant genetic differentiation between the populations from the study area and those from a further southeastern area,which are separated by a 20 km gap. This suggests the existence of population substructure at a fine-scale. However,we did not detect any difference between samples from the western and eastern sides of the railway within the study area,and concluded that the railway may not impose a significant barrier effect on these lizard populations at the present time. Available suitable habitat alongside the railway and bridge underpasses may have facilitated the gene exchange between the sides. The relatively short time since the completion of the railway may not allow the differentiation to accumulate to a detectable level. Since the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau maintains a unique and fragile ecosystem,long-term monitoring of such man-made landscape features is imperative for protecting this ecosystem.

Analyses on the Types,Distributions and Characteristics of Vegetation and Soil along Qinghai-Tibet Railway

[Objeective] The research aimed to study the types, distributions and characteristics of vegetation and soil along Qinghai -Tibet Rail- way. [ Method]Types, distributions and characteristics of vegetation and soil along Qinghai -Tibet Railway were studied by field investigation meth- od. [Result] The vegetation along Qinghai -Tibet Railway was dominated by alpine grassland and meadow, while the soil was dominated by alpine steppe soil and meadow soil corresponding along the railway. They both concentrated distnbutions at the section from Kunlun Mountain to Nyainqen- tanglha Mountain. [ Conclusion] The research could provide the basis for disaster control and resource development of Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Thermal Characteristics of the Embankment with Crushed Rock Side Slope to Mitigate Thaw Settlement Hazards of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Permafrost （perennially frozen ground） appears widely in the Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway and is characterized by high ground temperature （≥1℃） and massive ground ice. Under the scenarios of global warming and human activity, the permafrost under the railway will gradually thaw and the massive ground ice will slowly melt, resulting in some thaw settlement hazards, which mainly include longitudinal and lateral cracks, and slope failure. The crushed rock layer has a thermal semiconductor effect under the periodic fluctuation of natural air. It can be used to lower the temperature of the underlying permafrost along the Qinghai-Tibet railway, and mitigate the thaw settlement hazards of the subgrade. In the present paper, the daily and annual changes in the thermal characteristics of the embankment with crushed rock side slope （ECRSS） were quantitatively simulated using the numerical method to study the cooling effect of the crushed rock layer and its mitigative ability. The results showed that the ECRSS absorbed some heat in the daytime in summer, but part of it was released at night, which accounted for approximately 20% of that absorbed. Within a year, it removed more heat from the railway subgrade in winter than that absorbed in summer. It can store approximately 20% of the ＂cold＂ energy in subgrade. Therefore, ECRSS is a better measure to mitigate thaw settlement hazards to the railway.

Prevention and management of wind-blown sand damage along Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Cuonahu Lake area

This paper analyzes the characteristics of climate, geology and geomorphology, vegetation, and sand dune distribution in the Cuonahu Lake area beside the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The types and causes of railway blown-sand hazards are discussed, and the effectiveness of various sand-controlling measures is assessed. From the perspective of integrated management, a sand-controlling system that combines several engineering measures, including nylon net sand barriers, concrete sand barriers, movable-board sand barriers, sand interception ditches, gravel/rock cover, film sandbags, and permanent vegetation is most beneficial.

Growth behavior and resource potential evaluation of gas hydrate in core fractures in Qilian Mountain permafrost area, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Qilian Mountain permafrost area located in the northern of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a favorable place for natural gas hydrate formation and enrichment,due to its well-developed fractures and abundant gas sources.Understanding the formation and distribution of multi-component gas hydrates in fractures is crucial in accurately evaluating the hydrate reservoir resources in this area.The hydrate formation experiments were carried out using the core samples drilled from hydrate-bearing sediments in Qilian Mountain permafrost area and the multi-component gas with similar composition to natural gas hydrates in Qilian Mountain permafrost area.The formation and distribution characteristics of multi-component gas hydrates in core samples were observed in situ by X-ray Computed Tomography(X-CT)under high pressure and low temperature conditions.Results show that hydrates are mainly formed and distributed in the fractures with good connectivity.The ratios of volume of hydrates formed in fractures to the volume of fractures are about 96.8%and 60.67%in two different core samples.This indicates that the fracture surface may act as a favorable reaction site for hydrate formation in core samples.Based on the field geological data and the experimental results,it is preliminarily estimated that the inventory of methane stored in the fractured gas hydrate in Qilian Mountain permafrost area is about 8.67×1013 m3,with a resource abundance of 8.67×108 m3/km2.This study demonstrates the great resource potential of fractured gas hydrate and also provides a new way to further understand the prospect of natural gas hydrate and other oil and gas resources in Qilian Mountain permafrost area.

Characteristics of sand damages and dynamic environment along the Tuotuohe section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Sand damages along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway occur frequently and have spread rapidly since it was completely opened to traffic in 2006. The goal of this study was to understand the effects of sand damages on the railway via meteorological data and in situ observation of wind-blown sand. We selected the Tuotuohe section of this railway as a typical research object, and we systematically investigated its characteristics of sand damages, drift potential, sand-driving wind rose, and their time variation. The direction of sand-drifting wind clearly varies with the season. In winter, the predominant wind blows from the west and lasts for three months, while in summer the frequency of northeasterly wind begins to increase and multi-directional winds also occurs in July. The drift potential in this area is 705.81 VU, which makes this a high-energy wind environment according to Fryberger＇s definition. The directional variability （RDP/DP） is 0.84 and the resultant drift potential is 590.42 VU with a resultant direction of 89.1°.

Soil Taxonomy and Distribution Characteristics of the Permafrost Region in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Understanding the soil taxonomy and distribution characteristics of the permafrost region in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) is very important. On the basis of extensive field surveys and experimental analysis, this study carries out soil taxonomic classification of the permafrost region in the QTP. According to Chinese Soil Taxonomy, the soil of the permafrost region in the QTP can be divided into 6 Orders(Histosols, Aridosols, Gleyosols, Isohumosols, Cambosols, Primosols), 11 Suborders, 19 Groups and 24 Subgroups. Cambosols are the dominant soil type in the permafrost region, followed by Aridosols. From the east to the west of the permafrost region in the QTP, the soil type gradually changes from Cambosols to Aridosols, showing a meridional zonality. The eastern region is dominated by Cambosols, with no obvious latitudinal zonality. From the south to the northwest of the western region, the dominance of Aridosols and Cambosols gradually transited to Aridosols, presenting a latitudinal zonality. The soil in the western region shows a poor vertical zonality, while the distribution of suborders of Cambosols in the eastern region shows a more obvious vertical zonality. The result indicates that precipitation and vegetation are the main factors that influence the zonal distribution of soil. The permafrost in the east has some effect on the vertical soil zonality, but the effect is weakened in the west.

Long-term thermal regimes of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway embankments in plateau permafrost regions

Ten years of ground temperature data(2003–2013) indicate that the long-term thermal regimes within embankments of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway(QTR) vary significantly with different embankment structures. Obvious asymmetries exist in the ground temperature fields within the traditional embankment(TE) and the crushed-rock basement embankment(CRBE). Measurements indicate that the TE and CRBE are not conducive to maintaining thermal stability. In contrast, the ground temperature fields of both the crushed-rock sloped embankment(CRSE) and the U-shaped crushed-rock embankment(UCRE) were symmetrical. However, the UCRE gave better thermal stability than the CRSE because slow warming of deep permafrost was observed under the CRSE. Therefore, the UCRE has the best long-term effect of decreasing ground temperature and improving the symmetry of the temperature field. More generally, it is concluded that construction using the cooling-roadbed principle meets the design requirements for long-term stability of the railway and for train transport speeds of 100 km h?1. However, temperature differences between the two shoulders, which exist in all embankments shoulders, may cause potential uneven settlement and might require maintenance.