Unraveling the causal cascade from atmospheric disturbances to ecosystem service degradation in open-pit mining areas

Resource-intensive regions face mounting pressure to balance mineral exploitation with ecological stability, as open-pit mining reshapes atmospheric conditions, surface thermal regimes, and vegetation-soil processes. Although environmental changes near mining areas are widely documented, the cross-layer transmission mechanisms linking atmospheric disturbances to ecosystem service degradation remain insufficiently understood. This study develops an integrated spatial causal framework that combines geographical causal detection, network analysis, and nonlinear modelling to quantify cross-layer transmission processes in a major vanadium-titanium mining region in southwestern China. Results indicate a hierarchical disturbance cascade: mining activity first intensifies aerosol loading and surface warming, which reorganize local energy-moisture conditions. These anomalies are statistically linked to downstream changes along multiple significant pathways, reducing vegetation activity and soil moisture through both nonlinear response transitions and steady warming effects. Carbon storage and water conservation are identified as tightly coupled ecological sinks that integrate these upstream disturbances. The findings suggest that mining impacts propagate through nonlinear multi-path cross-sphere mechanisms rather than simple linear associations. The proposed framework supports diagnosing ecological vulnerability and designing layer-specific intervention strategies aimed at controlling atmospheric stressors, stabilizing vegetation-soil conditions, and safeguarding ecosystem services in industrialized mining landscapes.