Study on the Influencing Factors of Eco-Environmental Quality in Typical Coal Fire Zones, Xinjiang, China

Coal fires are disasters that occur when underground coal seams are subjected to combustion conditions induced by natural or human factors. This study investigates the eco-environmental quality of three typical coal fire areas, namely Surablak, Shuixigou, and Sikeshu. To achieve this, the previously proposed improved remote sensing ecological index for coal fire areas (RSEIds) was applied to assess and track eco-environmental quality based on multi-temporal Landsat imagery from 2000 to 2024. The GeoDetector model was then employed to identify the dominant influencing factors and their interaction effects. The findings indicate the following: (1) The RSEIds show strong applicability in coal fire areas and provide an effective assessment of eco-environmental quality, with classification results highly consistent with Google imagery. (2) From 2000 to 2024, the eco-environmental quality of all three fire areas generally underwent a process of deterioration followed by partial recovery, with improvement after 2021 mainly occurring in marginal zones rather than in the central parts of the fire areas. (3) Spatially, poor and fair eco-environmental conditions were concentrated in the core disturbance belts of the fire areas, whereas good and excellent conditions were mainly distributed in peripheral mountainous and zones with relatively good vegetation conditions. (4) The dominant driving factors exhibited clear regional differences: distance to the coal fire area and temperature were most important in Surablak, land use type and aspect in Shuixigou, and aspect and precipitation in Sikeshu, while factor interactions consistently showed stronger explanatory power than single factors. These results provide essential references for eco-environmental assessment, restoration zoning, and sustainable management in coal fire areas.