Inventory and Frequency of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps in Permafrost Region of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Due to the increasing air temperatures, retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) have become more common on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), but their inventory, frequency, and initiation have not been fully investigated. In satellite imagery for the period 2018–2020, 2669 active RTSs were identified in permafrost regions of the QTP. Most of the RTSs occur in regions with elevations ranging from 4,600 to 5,100 m along north‐facing slopes varying from 3° to 8°. The number of RTSs and their affected areas increased by 4 and 6 times, respectively, in three densely distributed RTS regions from 2008/2013 to 2021. This increase in the RTS occurrence mainly occurred during the warm season in 2010 and 2016 and is likely due to high air temperatures during the thawing season, which induced the massive occurrence of active‐layer detachment slides. Another intensification of RTS occurrences may appear when higher anomaly air temperatures are observed.