Modeling Soil Moisture in the Mojave Desert

Open-File Report 2008-1100
Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service
By: , and 

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Abstract

The Mojave Desert is an arid region of southeastern California and parts of Nevada, Arizona, and Utah; the desert occupies more than 25,000 square miles (fig. 1). Ranging from below sea level to over 5,000 feet (1,524 m) in elevation, the Mojave Desert is considered a ?high desert.? On the west and southwest it is bounded by the Sierra Nevada, the San Gabriel, and the San Bernardino Mountains. These imposing mountains intercept moisture traveling inland from the Pacific Ocean, producing arid conditions characterized by extreme fluctuations in daily temperatures, strong seasonal winds, and an average annual precipitation of less than six inches. The Mojave Desert lies farther south and at a lower elevation than the cooler Great Basin Desert and grades southward into the even lower and hotter Sonoran Desert.
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Modeling Soil Moisture in the Mojave Desert
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2008-1100
DOI 10.3133/ofr20081100
Edition Version 1.0
Year Published 2008
Language ENGLISH
Publisher Geological Survey (U.S.)
Contributing office(s) Western Earth Surface Processes
Description 6 p.
Online Only (Y/N) Y
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