Actually, it's not an oxymoron since not all of the Southwest is desert. Sierra Vista for example gets 15 inches of rain per year making it a savannah grassland climate. Then there are the mountains where the meltwater from the winter snowpack being a crucial part of the water supply. In addition, the Sonoran Desert is a "wet" desert being desert barely in terms of average rainfall. The Mojave is the dry deert as is the High Desert of the Great Basin. As for relief, with current state of the ENSO-no way. Except for the Summer monsoon.
Steve
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"I'm your Momma Earth and you've been messin' around with the Natural Order of Things" Alchemy VII |