Active–Passive Remote Sensing Evaluation of Ecological Environment Quality in Juye Mining Area, China

Abstract

The coal industry is a crucial component of China’s energy sector. However, the persistent exploitation of coal resources has gravely impacted the ecological environment. While the Remote Sensing Ecology Index (RSEI) is predominantly used for assessing ecological quality, its primary focus has been urban or aquatic environments. There is limited research focused on the evaluation of the ecological environment quality in mining areas. Moreover, the information regarding surface deformation caused by coal mining extraction is an essential factor in the ecological monitoring of mining areas. Therefore, this study proposed the Modified Remote Sensing Ecology Index (MRSEI). This enhanced model merges active and passive remote sensing techniques and incorporates a deformation factor (Surface Deformation Index, SDI) to provide a holistic evaluation of mining area ecologies. Furthermore, for comparative verification, we developed the Eco-environmental Quality Index (EQI) model by selecting 12 ecological parameters and employing a hierarchical analysis. The Juye mining area in Shandong Province was selected as the region of study. MRSEI results from 2015 to 2021 indicate a decline in the ecological quality of the Juye mining area, with MRSEI values registering at 0.691, 0.644, and 0.617. The EQI model mirrors this decreasing trend over the same period. Despite MRSEI using fewer indicators, its assessments align closely with the multi-indicator EQI method. This validates the accuracy of the MRSEI method, providing reliable technical support for the monitoring and evaluation of ecological environment quality in mining areas.