Research on the Impact of Groundwater Level Changes in Coal Mining Areas on the Growth Status of Typical Vegetation

Addressing the key issue of sustainable development evaluation regarding the impact of groundwater level changes caused by coal mining on the growth of vegetation in mining areas, based on the Hydrus-1D model, this study simulates the effects of different groundwater depths (up to 10.0 m) throughout the year of 2024 on the transpiration and growth status of typical vegetation, namely corn and Chinese pine, to reveal their response mechanisms and critical thresholds. The results show that the growth status (T/T_p) and cumulative transpiration of corn and Chinese pine respond significantly to changes in groundwater depth, with clear critical thresholds of 3.00 m for corn and 3.55 m for Chinese pine. The contribution of groundwater to vegetation transpiration (GWc) decreases with increasing depth, approaching zero after exceeding the critical depth. Considering the actual situation in the study area, the current groundwater depth is significantly higher than the critical depth for both vegetation types, indicating that the water level changes caused by coal mining have no significant adverse impact on the growth of existing vegetation in the region.