Arid Lands

In the Southwest, USGS scientists are investigating the effects of natural and human disturbances on discrete soil units and the biota they support, including native soil biological crusts and their role in protecting soils.

Listed below are examples of research projects available online and general information from USGS about arid lands.

• Biological Research on Fire in the West. Fact Sheet. (460 KB, PDF) (California, Sierra Nevada, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Great Basin, Mojave desert, Sonoran desert) (FRESC) (also related to Fire, Forests, Grasslands, Invasive Species, Urban Expansion)

• Effect of Fire and Herbicides on Microphytic Crust Dynamics in High Desert Ecosystems (Oregon, Idaho) (FRESC) (also related to Fire)

• Evaluation of Revegetation Methods for Saltcedar-Dominated Xeric Riparian Areas Along the Rio Grande, New Mexico (FORT) (also related to Invasive Species; Rivers, Streams, & Lakes)

• Fire Ecology Research at the Western Ecological Research Center (Sierra Nevada forests, California shrublands, Mojave and Sonoran deserts) (also related to Fire) (WERC)

• Interactions of Cattle Grazing and Climate on Semi-Arid Ecosystem Functions (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Intermountain West, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Western U.S.) (FRESC) (also related to Global Change; Urban Expansion)

• Managing Fire in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert: A Review and Analysis of the Literature. Open-File Report. (6,151 KB, PDF) (Arizona, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, Texas) (SBSC) (also related to Fire)

• Maui Dry Forest Restoration (PIERC) (also related to Forests, Invasive Species)

• Past, Recent, and 21st Century Vegetation Change in the Arid Southwest (SBSC) (also related to Global Change)

• PIERC Research: The Ridge to Reef Project and Ecological Restoration (Hawaii, Mariana Islands, Pacific) (PIERC) (also related to Coral Reefs, Forests)

• Recovery and Vulnerability of Desert Ecosystems (RVDE) (Mojave Desert) (Priority Ecosystems Science)

• Restoration of Native Hawaiian Dryland Forest at Auwahi, Maui. Fact Sheet. (7,726 KB, PDF) (PIERC) (also related to Forests; Invasive Species; Urban Expansion)

• Western Great Basin Wetlands Biodiversity Initiative (FRESC) (also related to Wetlands)

	More Research Samples from: Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (PIERC) Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)