This research assesses the response of eolian geomorphic systems in the Mojave Desert to climatic changes during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene (~the last 50,000 yr) as an example of the geologic record of the effects of global change on desert regions. The history of eolian activity in the region is documented using information from eolian sand accumulations and luminescence dating of eolian depositional episodes and is correlated with parallel records environmental change (e.g. lake level changes, vegetation changes). Wind directions and circulation patterns associated with periods of eolian activity have been reconstructed from evidence contained in eolian deposits and landforms; and the magnitude of climatic changes required to produce significant eolian transport and deposition in the region has been assessed through studies of the modern climatology of sand and dust transporting events.
