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Assessment of Surface Ecological Quality of Grassland Mining Area and Identification of Its Impact Range

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Abstract

High-intensity coal mining in grasslands has negative impact on the surface ecology of the mining area and its surroundings. This impact shows spatio-temporal heterogeneity due to differences in mining intensity at various life stages. Based on remote sensing images and experimental test data, this paper took the Baorixile Surface Coal Mine (BSCM), which as the largest open-pit mine in eastern Inner Mongolia, as an example to analyze surface ecological quality and risk at the whole life cycle. In total, 13 indices from three aspects of site structure, spatial pattern, and ecological function were selected to assess surface ecological quality. The geoaccumulation index and potential ecological risk index were used to analyze the ecological risk of surface soil. Identification of impact range of mining activities and pollution sources of soil heavy metal was obtained by correlation analysis. At present, the BSCM is at a stable stage. Ecological quality showed a deteriorating trend during the reaching and stable stages. The soil organic matter content at the BSCM was lower than the Second National Soil Survey and exhibited a decreasing tendency. A low ecological risk was found in soil, and Cd was the main potential ecological risk element. The surface ecology of the boundary and its 2 km buffer zone was affected by mining activities in the BSCM. Mining activities may have an impact on the surface ecology of the 5 km buffer zone. This study provides a reference method for ecological quality assessment and impact scope determination of similar mining areas.

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  • 28 April 2021

    In article running head, the author name "Cheng" has been corrected as "Chen".

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFC0501105), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51874306), and the Soft Science Research Project of Henan Province (No. 172400410479). Also, the authors thank to Huaneng Yimin Coal & Electricity Co., Ltd., Shenhua Baorixile Energy Co., Ltd., and Shenhua Nortel Shengli Energy Co., Ltd. for providing coal output data.

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Correspondence to Weiqiang Chen or Jihong Dong.

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Fang, A., Bao, M., Chen, W. et al. Assessment of Surface Ecological Quality of Grassland Mining Area and Identification of Its Impact Range. Nat Resour Res 30, 3819–3837 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-021-09868-8

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