Mojave Desert ecosystem processes are dependent upon the amount and seasonality of precipitation. Multi-decadal periods of drought or above-average rainfall affect landscape vegetation condition, biomass and susceptibility to fire. The seasonality of precipitation events can also affect the likelihood of lightning, a key ignition source for fires. To develop an understanding of precipitation regimes and fire patterns we used monthly average precipitation data and GIS data representing burned areas from 1971-2010. We applied a K-means cluster analysis to the monthly precipitation data identifying three distinct precipitation seasons; winter (October – March), spring (April-June) and summer (July-September) and four discrete precipitation regimes within the Mojave ecoregion.
Revised: February 12, 2020 |
Published: January 5, 2016
Citation
Tagestad J.D., M.L. Brooks, V.I. Cullinan, J.L. Downs, and R. McKinley. 2016.Precipitation regime classification for the Mojave Desert: Implications for Fire Occurrence.Journal of Arid Environments 124.PNNL-SA-107574.doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2015.09.002