The "Xing'an-Baikal" permafrost is distributed in the middle and high latitudes of Eurasia, exhibiting characteristics observed in both high-altitude and high-latitude permafrost, while also being highly sensitive to climate and environmental changes.

A research teams led by Prof. WU Qingbai from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences integrated the latest literature to elaborate on the characteristics of the “Xing’an-Baikal” permafrost, including its distribution, taliks, ground ice, active layer thickness, ground temperature, permafrost thickness, and both zonality and non-zonality patterns.

They discussed the reciprocal feedback from permafrost, climate and environmental elements and evaluated the changes in the “Xing’an-Baikal” permafrost and its consequences.

The results indicate that the permafrost degradation have both adverse and beneficial environmental impacts, with the potential for these effects to transition between each other. Permafrost degradation significantly drives environmental changes in cold regions.

Permafrost degradation releases stored water, contributing to the water-carbon cycle, replenishing runoff, and increasing flood risk in cold regions. However, permafrost degradation ultimately leads to a decrease in water resources, shrinkage of lakes, and an increase in carbon emissions within a specific catchment area.

Besides, the growth and succession of vegetation in cold regions are closely tied to changes in permafrost, which also influence the expansion of the forest line and greening of the area. However, vegetation mortality can occur when permafrost thawing water fails to drain promptly or due to landslides and subsidence.

During permafrost degradation, engineering diseases caused by thaw settlement significantly impact the operational status and service time of projects in cold regions.

The study, entitle "Degradation and local growth of “Xing’an-Baikal” permafrost responding to climate warming and the consequences" was published in Earth-Science Reviews on July 9.