Permafrost Distribution Research Progress on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Climatic effects receive much concern about permafrost accelerated degradation of the Tibetan Plateau under the background of the global climate warming, so it is more significant monitoring change process of permafrost state. Firstly, reviewed distribution methods of the permafrost, including annual average temperature method and elevation model method; subsequently summarized permafrost distribution change prediction model, including physical model, empirical model, half physical model and half empirical model; finally, summarized problems and deficiencies remaining in this research and discussed the research emphases. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of International Materials Science Society.