Modeling Soil Moisture in the Mojave Desert

This publication describes soil moisture modeling in the Mojave Desert. It provides a general background on the process of pedogenesis, or soil development, which is a major factor affecting soil moisture properties. Soil texture changes with pedogenesis, which, in turn, affects soil moisture. Soil moisture is vital to plant survival, and therefore to the survival of all desert organisms associated with plants. Developing soil moisture models provides valuable information that can be used in predicting the impacts of disturbance, an area's ability to recover from disturbance, and in making land management decisions. [Summary provided by the USGS.]