Influence of Urban Areas on Surface Water Loss in the Contiguous United States

Urbanization is one of the main drivers of surface water loss, which implies a transition from water to land. However, it is still unclear how urban areas affect the spatial pattern of surface water loss. Here, we use remotely sensed data to analyze and model the decrease of surface water extent and, in particular, the frequency of surface water loss as a function of distance from urban areas across the contiguous United States (CONUS). We employ an exponential distance‐decay model that confirms the presence of a higher frequency of surface water loss in the proximity of human settlements and provides innovative insights on surface water loss patterns at different spatial scales (i.e., river basins, water resource regions, and the CONUS). These spatial patterns are found to be influenced by climatic conditions, with more widely distributed losses in arid regions with respect to temperate and continental climates. Our results provide a new and deeper understanding of the spatial influence of urban areas on surface water loss, which could be effectively integrated in the definition of sustainable strategies for urbanization, water management, and surface water restoration, focused on both human and environmental water needs. Plain Language Summary Urbanization is causing serious impacts on surface water resources, being among the main factors contributing to their conversion to land, here quantified in terms of surface water loss. Future scenarios of urban growth project increasing losses of surface water, with cascading negative effects for people and the environment. Here, we use satellite images to identify where surface water loss and human settlements are located across the contiguous United States and analyze and model their mutual interaction. We find that surface water loss is concentrated around cities and we define its spatial pattern in the neighboring region of urban areas with a mathematical model. We also observe that climate affects the distance‐decay behavior, as in arid regions surface water loss is more spread with respect to temperate and continental climates. Our findings are essential to understand how urbanization affects the spatial distribution of surface water loss, therefore supporting the definition of planning strategies for water resource management that ensure water conservation and mitigate the impacts of urbanization on ecosystems. Key Points Expansion of urban areas causes losses of surface waters that extend in the neighbori