Evaluating Impacts of Opencast Stone Mining on Vegetation Primary Production and Transpiration over Rajmahal Hills  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Mining Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, India; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
[PERSON]  
2 Department of Geoinformatics, School of Natural Resource Management, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi 835222, India; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
[PERSON]  
3 School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1 BJ, UK; jadunandan.Dash  
3 School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1 BJ, UK; jadunandan. other environmental impacts (e.g., vegetation degradation, biodiversity loss, groundwater scarcity) [16; 17; 18; 19]. Similarly, many other ecologically sensitive regions across the globe are under the threat of large-scale opencast mining activity, which may further damage a vast amount of ecological wealth and associated services [20; 21; 22]. The impact of opencast mining on vegetation is particularly severe in tropical regions, where the high biodiversity and endemism of the forests can be irreversibly affected [23; 24; 25]. These studies reported LULC alteration vis-a-vis forest cover losses associated with different kinds of opencast mining activities (e.g., coal, stone, metal) across India [26; 27]. Clearing vegetation cover due to mining activity has several direct or indirect consequences on the terrestrial ecosystem (e.g., soil erosion and degradation, biodiversity loss, water cycle disruption, greenhouse gas emissions, and albedo effect) [28; 29; 30]. Most importantly, the mining-induced vegetation cover loss significantly causes vegetation productivity (e.g., carbon fixation from the atmosphere and carbon stocks) and transpiration losses, which both are critical components of ecosystem functioning [28; 31]. The loss and alteration of vegetation productivity and transpiration due to vegetation cover loss can significantly trigger global warming and climate change at a local, regional, and global scale [30; 31]. Decreasing trends in Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), Net Primary Productivity (NPP), and increasing trends in Vegetation Transpiration (VT) can have several undesirable effects on ecosystem functioning. So, it is crucial to continuously monitor and assess the mining-induced vegetation cover and associated ecological losses. Such studies shall help to understand the nature of the mining process and how mining operations can be designed to have the least possible impact on society and the environment. Furthermore, such studies in the mining regions can provide insight into managing best and conserving land and ecological resources for mitigating the associated negative changes. In this context, remote sensing satellite datasets have been widely used for analyzing and accounting for mining and anthropogenic activity-induced deforestation and subsequent losses in vegetation productivity across the globe. For instance, [PERSON] et al. [32], [PERSON] et al. [25], [PERSON] et al. [24], etc., in India; [PERSON] et al. [33], [PERSON] et al. [34], [PERSON] et al. [35], etc., have utilized satellite remote sensing datasets for assessing vegetation cover loss due to different kinds of opencast mining activities (e.g., coal, stone, metal) across different regions of the world. Similarly, many studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of mining-induced vegetation loss on carbon sequestration and carbon stock. [PERSON] et al. [28] used different satellite products and analyzed the coal mining-induced carbon stock loss in Datong mining area in China. The study found that mining activities have drastically reduced biomass and diminished vegetation's ability to fix atmospheric CO\({}_{2}\). [PERSON] et al. [36] used the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model along with different satellite products and climatological parameters to assess the NPP (i.e., an indicator of carbon stock) over mining regions in China.