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Article Series: Global Warming
Global Warming & Climate Change -
What Do I Need To Know?
The
Effects of Erosion
Soil is removed naturally by ocean currents,
water, ice, wind or living organisms and is called erosion.
This displacement of soil, mud, rock and other particles has
been occurring for over 450 million years. This is a downward
movement in response to gravity. Erosion is a natural process
and can be healthy for the ecosystem, but oftentimes is made
worse by human use such as deforestation/removal of vegetation,
overgrazing, unmanaged construction or building of roads. Improved
land use techniques such as terrace-building and tree planting
can limit erosion. Excessive erosion can produce trouble
such as ecosystem damage, loss of soil and receiving water
sedimentation. The effects of erosion is sometimes linked to overpopulation
Generally
speaking, erosion removes soil at approximately the same
rate that soil is formed. However, increased soil
erosion at a much faster rate than it is formed is a recent
problem and due to mankind’s actions which leave
the land unprotected and vulnerable. Coupled with naturally
occurring erosive rainfalls or windstorms makes erosion a huge
environmental issue. This occurs in both agricultural/farming
areas as well as the natural environment. The effects of erosion
impact two places, on-site (where the soil has become detached),
as well as off-site (where the eroded soil goes).
With
the use of today’s powerful farming tools in parts of the
world, the damage of soil is called tillage erosion.
Soil erosion must be studied over short-term and long-term
timespans,
since it is affected by both common and rare events, which
can make it difficult to understand. The large storms cause
deep gullies, which are obvious, but erosion due to smaller
events can seem of no consequence when in fact there is a cumulative
effect over the long-term.
A
main impact from erosion is the reduction
of soil quality.
Crops are especially reliant on the upper portion of the soil,
which is susceptible to erosion from water and wind. This,
in turn, causes loss of nutrient rich upper layers of soil,
as well as the reduction in water holding capacity of eroded
soils. Erosion removes the “cream of the soil.” In countries
with more affluence this accelerated water erosion problem
can be fought against with the use of artificial fertilizers
and technology, but in the poorer countries this is not an
option. Loss of soil is a long-term problem. Globally, the
most serious consequence of erosion is the threat to long-term
sustainability of agricultural productivity.
Guesses on the relationship between soil erosion and crop
productivity are made only at the plot scale and do not allow
for general conclusions due to the large variability in outcomes.
Monitoring the effects of erosion on yields is impossible since
erosion is generally a gradual process and because of the long
time-spans involved, its effect on productivity is often obscured.
The risk of thwarting the effect of erosion on productivity,
as erosion is a spatially variable process, it will have a
considerable effect on the water availability and soil depth
in certain locations but not in others, causing land uses that
put a high demand on soil and soil water to migrate to areas
with lower erosion rates. However, this will only happen in
areas where the impact of erosion on productivity is significant,
i.e. where erosion rates are high, and general productivity
is low. The destructive impact of erosion is well known in
developing countries such as Africa and Asia, but even in the
prosperous countries there is a huge environmental concern.
Erosion caused by water is a serious issue in Austria, New
Zealand, Southern and Eastern Europe as well as some part of
the United States.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2007
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