Permafrost on the Qinghai-tibet Plateau under a Changing Climate

Permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) has experienced major shifts during the Quaternary. During the past 40 years, permafrost has been degrading extensively, due to climatic warming. Simulations suggest significant degradation of permafrost both in extent and in thickness within the next 50-100 years. Freshwater wetlands on the QTP can contribute significantly to the global budgets in the atmospheric greenhouse gases. Permafrost degradation on the QTP has caused destabilization of foundations of engineering structures, deterioration of grasslands and meadows, and weakening of permafrost control on water resources.