Impact of Urbanization on Groundwater Storage and Surface Temperature Changes: A Case Study of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The overexploitation of groundwater has emerged as a critical environmental issue due to the increasing pressure placed on this vital freshwater resource by rapid urbanization and population growth. Understanding future groundwater availability near urban expansion is essential for sustainable urban planning and water-resource management. This study investigates the influence of land-cover change on groundwater depletion while also examining the spatial patterns of urban growth and their effects on surface thermal conditions using Land Surface Temperature (LST) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Groundwater storage variations were monitored using data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), while Landsat imagery was used to derive land-cover maps, NDVI, and LST. To assess the relationship between climate variability and groundwater recharge, GRACE-derived groundwater storage anomalies were correlated with precipitation data obtained from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. Time-series analyses of groundwater storage and land-cover changes were conducted at five-year intervals from 1990 to 2025 to quantify the impacts of urbanization on groundwater dynamics. The results reveal a significant acceleration in groundwater depletion and urban expansion over the past decade. Concurrently, LST exhibits an increasing spatial trend that closely corresponds with declining vegetation cover and expanding built-up areas, indicating that urbanization has contributed substantially to rising surface temperatures. These findings underscore the urgent need for effective groundwater management policies and integrated urban planning strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of freshwater resources.