19 Facts About Soil erosion

Splash erosion is generally seen as the first and least severe stage in the soil erosion process, which is followed by sheet erosion, then rill erosion and finally gully erosion .

Rill Soil erosion refers to the development of small, ephemeral concentrated flow paths which function as both sediment source and sediment delivery systems for Soil erosion on hillslopes.

Gully erosion occurs when runoff water accumulates and rapidly flows in narrow channels during or immediately after heavy rains or melting snow, removing soil to a considerable depth.

Valley or stream Soil erosion occurs with continued water flow along a linear feature.

The Soil erosion is both downward, deepening the valley, and headward, extending the valley into the hillside, creating head cuts and steep banks.

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Bank Soil erosion is the wearing away of the banks of a stream or river.

Thermal Soil erosion is the result of melting and weakening permafrost due to moving water.

Thermal Soil erosion affects the Arctic coast, where wave action and near-shore temperatures combine to undercut permafrost bluffs along the shoreline and cause them to fail.

Wind Soil erosion is a major geomorphological force, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.

Wind Soil erosion is much more severe in arid areas and during times of drought.

For example, in the Great Plains, it is estimated that soil loss due to wind erosion can be as much as 6100 times greater in drought years than in wet years.

Tillage erosion is a form of soil erosion occurring in cultivated fields due to the movement of soil by tillage.

Wind erosion requires strong winds, particularly during times of drought when vegetation is sparse and soil is dry .

Soil erosion compaction affects the permeability of the soil to water, and hence the amount of water that flows away as runoff.

Studies on soil erosion suggest that increased rainfall amounts and intensities will lead to greater rates of soil erosion.

Soil erosion rates are expected to change in response to changes in climate for a variety of reasons.

Loss of soil fertility due to erosion is further problematic because the response is often to apply chemical fertilizers, which leads to further water and soil pollution, rather than to allow the land to regenerate.

Soil erosion is considered to be the leading global cause of diffuse water pollution, due to the effects of the excess sediments flowing into the world's waterways.

Forages have a fibrous root system, which helps combat erosion by anchoring the plants to the top layer of the soil, and covering the entirety of the field, as it is a non-row crop.