Resource and environmental carrying capacity study of Kubai Coalfield in Xinjiang based on RS and GIS

The study of resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is critical to the ecological environmental protection and sustainable development of mining areas. Using multi-source remote sensing data such as Landsat5 and Landsat8, as well as socioeconomic statistics, the impact mechanism of the Kubai Coalfield's RECC was analyzed using the theory of Driving-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR), and a three-level evaluation index system of 1-5-18 was proposed. The cloud model enhanced Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to estimate the weight value of each assessment index. The Kubai Coalfield's RECC was calculated by superimposing the weights of different variables, and the contributing elements and changing trends of the RECC were investigated. The RECC of the Kubai Coalfield is highest in the east, second highest in the west, and lowest in the center, according to the results. The vegetation cover of the mining area has a direct impact on the RECC, and mining activity is the primary cause of the change in carrying capacity; however, coal mining has a lagging effect on the RECC. The study's findings serve as a guide for the quantitative assessment of RECC of Xinjiang's environmentally vulnerable mining sites and offer theoretical justification for the approach taken in the study of RECC of mining areas and the preservation of ecological environment sources.