Objective This study aims to scientifically and objectively evaluate the spatiotemporal evolution pattern of ecological environment quality in the Lanzhou-Xining urban agglomeration, thereby providing a refined scientific basis for regional ecological protection and management. Methods Based on Landsat 8 remote sensing data, an improved remote sensing ecological index (IRSEI) adapted to regional ecological characteristics was constructed, and a multi-dimensional analysis of ecological environment quality was conducted by combining Sen+Mann-Kendall trend analysis and ecological sensitivity analysis. Results (1) Both ecological environment quality and ecological sensitivity showed significant and stable spatial differentiation. Ecological quality was higher in the west than in the east, with the northwest dominated by excellent and good grades, while the eastern urban and agricultural concentrated areas were dominated by moderate, poor, and worse grades. Ecological sensitivity showed a distribution pattern of high in the west, low in the east, strong in the south, and weak in the north. Highly sensitive and relatively highly sensitive areas accounted for 10.38% and 22.67%, respectively, with a total proportion of 33.05%, and their spatial overlap rate with areas showing significant IRSEI decrease reached 83.7%, indicating a strong coupling relationship. (2) The temporal evolution exhibited phased characteristics, with the mean IRSEI fluctuating from 0.50 down to 0.48, failing to recover to the optimal level of 0.52 during 2018—2020. (3) The IRSEI during the study period was dominated by a non-significant decreasing trend, accounting for 61.13% of the total area. Areas with a significant decrease accounted for 6.65%, while areas with non-significant and significant increases accounted for 30.9% and 1.18% respectively. Spatially, a decreasing trend dominated the central and western regions, and an increasing trend dominated the east. The ecological grade transition was characterized by an expansion of good grade areas, a shrinkage of excellent grade areas, an increase in poor grade areas, and a decrease in worse grade areas. The good grade area had the largest increase of 5 841.79 km², and moderately sensitive areas (32.53%) served as the core transition zone for grade shifts. Conclusion The constructed IRSEI is tailored to the complex ecological environmental characteristics of the Lanzhou-Xining urban agglomeration and can accurately characterize the region-specific ecological stressors. The study confirms that the spatial differentiation patterns of regional ecological quality and ecological sensitivity are stable, and their spatial coupling relationship is prominent. The temporal variation of IRSEI exhibits a phased oscillatory decline, while its spatial evolution trend is dominated by insignificant decline. The grade transformation of ecological land follows an objective pattern in which medium-grade land serves as a transition zone for ecological transformation, accompanied by a polarized evolution of superior and inferior ecological land.
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