Analysis of Spatiotemporal Evolution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Vegetation Net Primary Productivity in Shendong Mining Area

Abstract

Coal plays a key role in the composition of energy production and consumption in China. The mineral is a crucial resource for human economic and social development. The surface subsidence caused by coal mining has attracted disturbance and damage to the surface ecological environments of mining areas. To quantitatively study vegetation carbon sequestration in coal mining areas, this article takes the Shendong mining area as its research object and analyzes the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and influencing factors of vegetation net primary productivity (NPP). Based on meteorological data, remote sensing images, and land use data in the mining area, this research analyzed the vegetation NPP and its relationship with meteorological factors in the Shendong mining area from 2000 to 2023. The results show that (1) in the past 24 years, the range of NPP variation in the Shendong mining area has been 0–350 gC/m2. The overall NPP shows a fluctuating upward trend. The annual average change in NPP in the mining area is bounded by the two central dividing lines, with a lower value in the central part and a gradually increasing trend in the western and eastern parts. (2) The average vegetation NPP of the Shendong mining area over 24 years was 0–250 gC/m2; after 2011, the annual average NPP of vegetation was higher than this average level, which shows that the ecological environment of the mining area is gradually improving. Coal mining in the mining area has not caused a significant impact on the overall environment of the mining area. (3) There is a significant relationship between NPP and annual cumulative rainfall, average annual temperature, and average annual Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Overall, it is not significantly related to mining factors. The mining factors affect local areas and have a certain correlation.