Near-surface temperature and moisture are key boundary conditions for simulating permafrost distribution, projecting its response to climate change, and evaluating the surface energy balance in alpine regions. However, in desertified permafrost zones of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), the observations remain sparse, and reported trends vary considerably among sites. This lack of consistent evidence limits the ability to represent microenvironmental processes in models and to predict their influence on permafrost stability. From September 2021 to August 2024, we conducted continuous observations at a desertified permafrost site on the central QTP, covering the vertical range from 150 cm above to 100 cm below the ground surface (boundary layer). Measurements included air and ground temperature, air humidity, soil moisture, wind speed, and net radiation. Results showed that the mean annual air temperature increased with decreasing height at a gradient of approximately 0.42 degrees C/m, while mean annual air humidity remained nearly constant at 56.8 +/- 1.1 % (150-0 cm). In the near-surface soil layer (0 similar to -10 cm), temperature rose by 3.6 +/- 0.1 degrees C and moisture decreased by 34.0 +/- 2.7 %. The mean annual ground temperature increased with depth at a rate of about 0.55 degrees C/m, whereas soil moisture decreased between -20 and -60 cm (52.86 %/m) and increased between -60 and -100 cm (56.30 %/m). Seasonal patterns showed marked difference: in the freezing season, the calculated total temperature increment within the boundary layer (1.91 degrees C) was 61 % lower than the observed value (4.88 degrees C), while in the thawing season, it was 58 % higher (4.38 degrees C > 2.77 degrees C). These results reveal strong vertical gradients and seasonal contrasts in thermal and moisture regimes, emphasizing the need to integrate coupled temperature-moisture processes into boundary layer parameterizations for cold-region environments. Improved representations can enhance permafrost modeling and inform infrastructure design in regions experiencing both warming and desertification.

Global warming may result in increased polar amplification, but future temperature changes under different climate change scenarios have not been systematically investigated over Antarctica. An index of Antarctic amplification (AnA) is defined, and the annual and seasonal variations of Antarctic mean temperature are examined from projections of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) under scenarios SSP119, SSP126, SSP245, SSP370 and SSP585. AnA occurs under all scenarios, and is strongest in the austral summer and autumn, with an AnA index greater than 1.40. Although the warming over Antarctica accelerates with increased anthropogenic forcing, the magnitude of AnA is greatest in SSP126 instead of in SSP585, which may be affected by strong ocean heat uptake in high forcing scenario. Moreover, future AnA shows seasonal difference and regional difference. AnA is most conspicuous in the East Antarctic sector, with the amplification occurring under all scenarios and in all seasons, especially in austral summer when the AnA index is greater than 1.50, and the weakest signal appears in austral winter. Differently, the AnA over West Antarctica is strongest in austral autumn. Under SSP585, the temperature increase over the Antarctic Peninsula exceeds 0.5 degrees C when the global average warming increases from 1.5 degrees C to 2.0 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, except in the austral summer, and the AnA index in this region is strong in the austral autumn and winter. The projections suggest that the warming rate under different scenarios might make a large difference to the future AnA.