## 3 Results
### Relationships Between SWC and Environmental Factors in Coal and Non-Coal Mining Areas  
The descriptive statistics in Table 3 present the correlation coefficients between top-layer SWC and various topographic or edaphic factors in both coal mining and non-coal mining areas. In both coal mining and non-coal mining areas, altitude showed a notable positive mean correlation with SWC, but the strength of this relationship was stronger in the coal mining area (mean = 0.30) compared to the non-coal mining area (mean = 0.19). The maximum correlation value for altitude was also higher in coal mining areas (0.82 vs. 0.77), suggesting that altitude might have a more significant influence on SWC in coal mining areas. Regarding slope, the mean correlation was slightly higher in coal mining areas (0.16) than in non-coal mining areas (0.12), indicating that slope is more influential in coal mining regions. The TWI and VAD generally showed negative correlations with SWC in both areas, but the values were slightly more positive in the non-coal mining area, suggesting these factors might be less favorable for SWC retention in coal mining zones. For soil texture components such as sand, silt, and clay, both areas showed generally weak correlations with SWC, although there were significant relations at some specific times. The coal mining area exhibited slightly higher mean positive correlations for sand (mean = 0.04) and clay (mean = \(-\)0.02) compared to non-coal mining areas (sand mean = 0.03; clay mean = \(-\)0.06), indicating a more pronounced but still modest influence in coal mining environments. SBD or SP had a higher positive correlation with SWC in the non-coal mining area (mean (+) = 0.16 or 0.11) compared to the coal mining area (mean (+) = 0.15 or 0.06), suggesting that they might play a more critical role in controlling SWC in the former. Overall, SBD and SP seem to have a slightly stronger impact on SWC in non-coal mining areas. Soil chemical properties showed more variation between the two mining areas. For instance, soil pH had a similar mean negative correlation with SWC in coal mining areas and non-coal mining area (mean = \(-\)0.13) but a greater positive mean in coal mining areas (0.13 vs. 0.09), indicating that SWC in coal mining areas might be more influenced by pH variations. SOM and N also displayed more substantial positive correlations in coal mining areas compared to non-coal mining areas, suggesting that nutrient availability may be more closely linked to SWC in coal mining regions. For instance, SOM exhibited a mean negative correlation of \(-\)0.24 in coal mining areas and \(-\)0.19 in non-coal mining areas, a mean positive correlation of 0.27 in coal mining areas and 0.20 in non-coal mining areas, highlighting that SOM could be more strongly associated with SWC in coal mining regions. Overall, the coal mining area showed generally stronger correlations between topographic and soil properties with SWC compared to the non-coal mining area, indicating that mining activities might have altered the soil and landscape characteristics in ways that intensify these relationships. In particular, altitude, slope, and soil chemical properties like SOM demonstrated more substantial influences on SWC in coal mining areas, while non-coal mining areas exhibited weaker but still present relationships. SBD demonstrated more substantial influences on SWC in non-coal mining areas. The differences in correlation values could reflect how mining activities impact soil structure, nutrient availability, and water retention properties in these two distinct environments.