Sun Hong-Wei, Yan Mei-Fang
College of Environment and Ecology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Jinzhong 030600, China.
Huan Jing Ke Xue. 2025 Mar 8;46(3):1690-1702. doi: 10.13227/j.hjkx.202401155.
Coal mining has caused notable disturbance and destruction to the ecosystem, leading to intensified regional carbon emissions. Ecological restoration of abandoned coal mines can improve the physical and chemical properties of damaged soil and increase soil carbon storage. Therefore, ecological restoration of coal mine areas is crucial for improving regional carbon sink levels and environments. Currently, most studies on ecological restoration in Chinese coal mining areas are scattered across the major coal-producing provinces in the Yellow River Basin. Its effect on soil carbon sequestration at a basin scale must be crucially elucidated. In this study, we focused on changes in soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities after vegetation restoration using an integrated analysis method, combined with climate and soil characteristics in the Yellow River Basin's coal mining areas to reveal the major factors affecting soil carbon restoration. Our results showed that： ① Soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities were improved significantly after ecological restoration； however, some differences were present among different soil layers. ② Soil organic carbon （SOC）, total nitrogen, and alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen increased by 62.2%, 40.5%, and 36.0%, respectively, showing an overall increasing trend with increasing restoration years. From the perspective of vegetation type, mixed forest had the largest increment in SOC. ③ The increase in nitrogen and phosphorus content improved soil fertility and helped to increase soil carbon input from vegetation litter, thus promoting the restoration of the soil organic carbon pool. In addition, average annual temperature and precipitation along with soil type also played important roles affecting soil C restoration. In the future, based on climate and soil characteristics of specific mining areas, suitable vegetation types should be selected from a perspective of C sequestration to enhance C sink of the whole basin.
煤炭开采对生态系统造成了显著干扰和破坏，导致区域碳排放加剧。废弃煤矿的生态修复可以改善受损土壤的物理和化学性质，增加土壤碳储量。因此，煤矿区的生态修复对于提高区域碳汇水平和改善环境至关重要。目前，中国煤矿区生态修复的大多数研究分散在黄河流域的主要产煤省份。必须阐明其在流域尺度上对土壤碳固存的影响。在本研究中，我们采用综合分析方法，结合黄河流域煤矿区的气候和土壤特征，重点研究植被恢复后土壤理化性质和酶活性的变化，以揭示影响土壤碳恢复的主要因素。我们的结果表明：①生态修复后土壤理化性质和酶活性显著改善；然而，不同土层之间存在一些差异。②土壤有机碳（SOC）、全氮和碱解氮分别增加了62.2%、40.5%和36.0%，总体呈随恢复年限增加而增加的趋势。从植被类型来看，混交林的SOC增量最大。③氮磷含量的增加提高了土壤肥力，有助于增加植被凋落物对土壤碳的输入，从而促进土壤有机碳库的恢复。此外，年均气温、降水量以及土壤类型对土壤碳恢复也起着重要作用。未来，应根据特定矿区的气候和土壤特征，从碳汇的角度选择适宜的植被类型，以增强整个流域的碳汇。
