INTRODUCTION

This effort was developed under a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiative to sponsor science workshops focusing on various of multidiscipline, multiprogram themes in the arid Southwest. The intent was to use the workshops to explore leading edge questions, as well as to provide better communication and collaboration between USGS and other organizations and agencies. The workshop topics fall within the broad areas of landscape science of the Southwest, ecosystem studies, climatic variation, land use associated with degradation of habitat and soils, and surficial processes in relation to the environment.