Variation and significance of surface heat after the mechanical sand control of Qinghai–Tibet Railway was covered with sandy sediments

Abstract

Mechanical control of drifting sand used to protect the Qinghai–Tibet Railway from sand damage inevitably results in sand deposition, and the change in radiation and heat flux after the ground surface is covered with sandy sediments remains unclear. These variations were studied in this work through field observations along with laboratory analyses and tests. After the ground surface was covered with sandy sediments produced by the mechanical control of sand in the Qinghai–Tibet Railway, the reflectivity increased, and the annual average reflectivity on the surface covered with sandy sediments was higher than that without sandy sediments, with the value increasing by 0.043. Moreover, the surface shortwave radiation increased, whereas the surface net radiation decreased. The annual average value of the surface shortwave radiant flux density on the sandy sediments was higher than that without sandy sediments, with the value increasing by 7.291 W·m−2. The annual average value of the surface net radiant flux density on the sandy sediments decreased by 9.639 W·m−2 compared with that without sandy sediments. The soil heat flux also decreased, and the annual average value of the heat flux in the sandy sediments decreased by 0.375 W·m−2 compared with that without sandy sediments. These variations caused the heat source on the surface of sandy sediments underground to decrease, which is beneficial for preventing permafrost from degradation in the section of sand control of the railway. Keywords: Mechanical control of sand, Sand depositions, Surface radiation, Heat flux, Qinghai–Tibet Railway