Recent work in the Mojave Desert of southern California increases understanding of sediment transport by wind in response to climatic changes in arid regions. Studies of the geomorphology and sediments of sand dunes have been combined with luminescence dating of these deposits to develop a chronology of periods of eolian deposition. A comparison of this chronology with the proxy record of the region's climatic change that has been derived from lake and alluvial-fan deposits, paleobotanical studies, and tree rings aids in understanding the conditions that favor eolian sediment accumulation there and in developing a process-response model for such eolian systems.