Browse USGS by Category and Location

Category:	All Categories>topics>population and community ecology>ecosystems>terrestrial ecosystems>desert ecosystems
Location:	Anywhere

Here are some USGS Web pages with more information on desert ecosystems and Anywhere:

Biological soil crusts: webs of life in the desert Fact sheet on the need to protect biological soil crusts in the desert. These crusts are most of the soil surface in deserts not covered by green plants and are inhabited by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and other organisms useful to the ecosystem. (Score: 1.000)

Deserts, geology and resources Online edition of booklet describing desert geology and mineral resources. (Score: 1.000)

Earthshots, satellite images of environmental change Satellite images of geographic areas of interest, cities, deserts, glaciers, geologic features,disaster areas,water bodies,and wildlife linked with articles, maps, and other images such as AVHRR, photographs,and special projects images. (Score: 1.000)

TerraWeb Terrestrial remote sensing program with links to coastal and marine, arid and semi-arid, other land environmental data and digital image products plus software Mini Image Processing Sensing System (MIPS). (Score: 1.000)

Fire ecology research Study of wildland fire history and fire ecology such as the invasion of nonnative grasses, in the Sierra Nevada forests, California shrublands, and the Mojave and Sonoran deserts to develop management techniques that will reduce hazards. (Score: 0.690)

Our dynamic desert landscape Overview of studies of fragile and active landscape of the American Southwest deserts, including projects on geologic mapping, surface processes, remote sensing research, ecological processes, and earthquake hazard applications. (Score: 0.580)

Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) Links to research at the field stations of the Western Ecological Research Center with direct links to web pages for wildlife videos, satellite telemetry, fire ecology, invasive species, herpetology field guide, and coastal ecosystems. (Score: 0.550)

Desert tortoise research at Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) Links to research studies, conservation information, and general information on desert tortoises at the Western Ecological Research Center in Sacramento, California. (Score: 0.544)

Earth science applications: National Training Center, Fort Irwin Digital images of environmental changes near Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert. (Score: 0.474)

Human-Induced Changes in the Mojave and Colorado Desert Ecosystems: Recovery and Restoration Potential (Score: 0.474)

Where desert meets city: vulnerability and recoverability of the Mojave Desert ecosystem Reports and projects of the Mojave Desert Ecosystem Science Program, part of the Place-Based Studies Program, studying desert ecosystem processes with links to program documentation, studies in progress, related information, and publications. (Score: 0.474)

Note: Download free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files at the Adobe web site, or go to access.adobe.com for free tools that allow visually impaired users to read PDF files.

How "Browse USGS" works

To broaden your category or location, use the "breadcrumbs" above. To narrow or shift your selections, use the boxes below.

Change category:

Change location:

Search for categories:

See Alphabetical Index of Categories

About desert ecosystems:

Definition: Ecosystems in dry, often sandy regions of little rainfall, extreme temperatures, and sparse vegetation. [Adapted from American Heritage Dic. of the English Language,4th ed.]