Skip to main content
Home

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Main Menu

  • EROS Home
  • Image Gallery
  • Video Library
  • Earthshots
  • Remote Sensing Classroom

Earthshots

  • Earthshots
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
      • Western Urban Expansion
      • Southwestern Las Vegas
      • Change Animation
      • Lake Las Vegas
      • Lake Mead
      • Land Cover Maps
      • Near Lake Mead
      • Impervious Surface
  • Download Cards
  • More Information
  • Contact Information
Earthshots Logo

Impervious Surface A Las Vegas, Nevada, USA story

Cities
  1. Earthshots
  2. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
  3. Impervious Surface
Description

NLCD images of western Las Vegas show that much more urban expansion took place here between 2001 and 2006 than over the next 5 years. The land cover classes that expand noticeably in these images are the developed classes. With these classes, NLCD can be used to track changes to impervious surface.

Impervious surfaces include roads, buildings, and parking lots—surfaces that do not allow rainwater to soak into the ground. The extent and density of impervious surface can affect water quality and flooding severity in urban areas.

In a forested area, for example, most rainfall soaks into the soils and is stored as groundwater, slowing the discharge into streams. Flooding in these areas is less significant. In urban areas, however, much more water runs off into streams quickly and increases the likelihood of severe flooding.

Studying impervious surface change allows scientists to quantify the extent of developed land cover regionally and nationally. NLCD is widely used to evaluate effects on hydrological and ecological systems in many urban areas.

Impervious surfaces are best measured with satellites. They cannot be easily or cost-effectively measured on the ground.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2006, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2006, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2016, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2016, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2006, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2006, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2016, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2016, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,

National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2006, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2016, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,
National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2006, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,
National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,
National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2016, Impervious Surface, Las Vegas, Nevada,

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Additional Imagery & Stories

Change Animation
Change Animation

If you could speed up time and watch a fast-growing city like Las Vegas change, what would it look like? From the perspective of the Landsat satellite...

Read More
Lake Las Vegas
Lake Las Vegas

Between 1986 and 1992, a lake appeared east of the city, along Las Vegas Wash, a riparian area. This is Lake Las Vegas, a privately owned lake that is...

Read More
Lake Mead
Lake Mead

How is Las Vegas getting enough water for its expanding population? Most of it comes from Lake Mead on the Colorado River. The Colorado River provides...

Read More
Land Cover Maps
Land Cover Maps

The images displayed in this section show a different way of looking at change over time. These images are part of the National Land Cover Database (N...

Read More
Near Lake Mead
Near Lake Mead

These close-up NLCD images show the water level changes to western Lake Mead. The water classification (blue) changes to barren ground (gray) as the l...

Read More
Southwestern Las Vegas
Southwestern Las Vegas

Zooming in on the southwestern portion of the city reveals further urban and suburban changes. McCarran International Airport expanded in this timefra...

Read More
Western Urban Expansion
Western Urban Expansion

In these false-color images, bright green indicates vegetation. As the city expands, you can see a sort of land cover succession as people build on th...

Read More
  • DOI Privacy Policy
  • Legal
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map
  • Contact USGS

  • U.S. Department of the Interior
  • DOI Inspector General
  • White House
  • E-gov
  • No Fear Act
  • FOIA