Erosion

Brein Mosely

What is Erosion?

Definition: The removal of material from one place and its transport toward
another by the action of wind and water.

Deposition: The arrival of eroded material at its new location.

PROS
Helps to create soil by depositing
eroded sediment in river, valleys,
and deltas.

CONS
Erosion rate is too fast for soil
formation. Removes a lot of the
topsoil; the most valuable soil layer
for living things

Causes
Over cultivating fields through poor
planning/excessive tilling
Overgrazing rangelands with excessive livestock
Clearing forests

Types of Erosion

Splash Erosion: When raindrops hit

bare soil, breaking up soil particles.
This decreases the soils ability to
take in water.
Sheet Erosion: Water flows in thin
sheets over broad surfaces, washing
topsoil away in uniform layers

Rill Erosion: Water runs along

small furrows, deepening and
widening them into channels
called rills
Gully Erosion: Cuts deeply into
soil, leaving large gullies that
expand as erosion expands.

Greatest Potential to Remove Topsoil

1. Rill

2. Sheet

3. Splash

4. Gully

1.

2.

3.

4.

Consequences

47 billion acres suffer from erosion from 1957-1990

Desertification: A loss of more than 10% of productivity due to erosion, soil

compaction, forest removal, etc.

Expands desert areas in once-fertile regions

Arid and Semiarid lands are especially vulnerable due to low precipitation

Declines of soil quality have endangered the food supply for 1 billion people

Could displace 50 million people in 10 years

Solutions

Crop Rotation: Alternating the type of crop grown in a given field from one
season/year to the next

Contour Farming: Plowing furrows sideways across a hillside, perpendicular to its

slope, to prevent formation of rills and gullies

Terracing: Transforms slopes into series of steps like a staircase, allowing

farmers to cultivate hilly land without losing huge amounts of soil

Shelterbelts (Windbreaks): Rows of trees or other tall perennial plants, that are
planted along the edges of fields to slow winds

Intercropping: Planting different types of crops in alternating bands, provides

more ground cover than does a single crop

Reduced Tillage: Use a drill to cuts a furrow through the soil surface, and closes
the furrow over the seed. Reduces wind erosion

Solution Examples
Crop Rotation,
Contour
Rotation,
Terracing

Intercropping,
Shelterbelts,
No-till Farming

Works Cited

Withgott, Jay, and Scott R. Brennan.Environment: The Science behind

the Stories. San Francisco: Pearson, 2009. Print.