CollectHomepage AdvertisementContact usMessage

Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (12): 2073-2086.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.236

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecological quality in the Zhundong region based on an arid modified remote sensing ecological index model

DENG Wenbin(), SONG Sen(), YI Hongmei   

  1. School of Architectural Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2025-04-28 Revised:2025-07-22 Online:2025-12-25 Published:2025-12-30
  • Contact: SONG Sen E-mail:dengwenbin@xju.edu.cn;107552404497@stu.xju.edu.cn

Abstract:

The Zhundong region in Xinjiang, a typical arid and semi-arid area, is a vital national energy base with abundant coal resources. However, intensive coal mining and related industrial activities have caused severe ecological issues, including land desertification, salinization, and PM2.5 pollution, intensifying the conflict between resource exploitation and ecological preservation. To accurately evaluate the ecological environment quality (EEQ) of this region, an arid modified remote sensing ecological index (ARSEI) is proposed herein. The ARSEI improves upon the traditional remote sensing ecological index by incorporating indicators for salinity, desertification, and air pollution, besides greenness, wetness, and heat. Using the Google Earth Engine platform, Landsat 5/8 images from 2000 to 2023 were processed to generate the ARSEI. The first principal component derived via principal component analysis was used to construct the ARSEI, with the direction of the wetness component applied to resolve the eigenvector ambiguity. Temporal trends were analyzed using Sen’s slope estimator and Mann-Kendall trend test, and ecological vulnerability was assessed based on the sensitivity and adaptability of the ARSEI. The optimal parameter-based geographical detector was employed to identify key driving factors and their interactions. Results indicated that the ARSEI of the Zhundong region showed a trend of initial decline followed by a partial recovery from 2000 to 2023, with its mean value decreasing from 0.368 in 2000 to 0.225 in 2018, before increasing to 0.289 in 2023. Spatially, the EEQ was generally poor, with over 60% of the area classified as “poor” or “relatively poor”, exhibiting a clear north-south gradient where the southern part exhibited better ecological conditions. Trend analysis revealed that 83.5% of the region experienced significant ecological degradation, whereas only 4.6% showed improvement, mainly in the southern agricultural and urban areas with low ecological vulnerability. Single-factor detection identified human activity intensity (q>0.6) and evapotranspiration (q>0.35) as the primary drivers. The interaction between temperature and human activity intensity had the strongest explanatory power (q>0.7), indicating nonlinear enhancement effects. In summary, large-scale resource development has exerted considerable pressure on the already fragile ecosystem. Although ecological restoration measures since 2019 have led to a partial recovery, the northern mining areas remain highly vulnerable due to water scarcity and soil degradation. The ARSEI model demonstrates enhanced applicability in arid resource-based regions and offers a scientific basis for ecological protection and sustainable development strategies.

Key words: Zhundong region, ecological environment quality, arid modified remote sensing ecological index, ecological vulnerability, optimal parameter geographical detector, Landsat 5/8