Why can air pollution reach remote parts of the North American Desert?

Air pollution reaches remote parts of the North American Desert primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels in population centers located along the Pacific coast and within the desert's interior.1

While the region is characterized by tropical and subtropical desert climates often dominated by stable, subsiding air and temperature inversions that can trap pollutants near the ground, the transport of these emissions is facilitated by prevailing winds that disperse pollutants horizontally across the landscape. Consequently, even the most isolated areas of the North American Desert are impacted by the industrial and urban activities occurring in more developed regions.231