The role of rainfall in the thermal-moisture dynamics of the active layer at Beiluhe of Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

The active layer in permafrost regions plays an important role in energy exchange between permafrost and atmosphere. Rainfall is one of the dominant factors affecting thermal-moisture dynamics of the active layer. To better understand the thermal-moisture dynamics and the interaction between rainfall and the active layer in-detail, in situ experiment was carried out and soil temperature, soil moisture and soil heat flux of the active layer were measured from 2007 to 2009. The observation data demonstrated that the volumetric soil water content of the active layer remained fairly constant during the winter and had a notable fluctuation resulted from evapotranspiration and rewetting from rainfall events in summer. The daily variation amplitude of soil temperature and soil heat flux in summer was bigger than that in winter. Soil moisture content increased and soil temperature decreased after rainfall. Rainfall in summer led to the change of surface energy balance and caused subsurface soil cooling. The convective heat transfer from water infiltration reduced the temperature gradient along depth and changed near-surface heat fluxes. The increase in rainfall may mitigate permafrost degradation on the Tibetan Plateau.