All about erosion, a comprehensive guide? Soil is a very important resource that allows the production of food, fiber, or forages. Despite it being a renewable resource, it renews slowly – generating three centimeters of topsoil takes 1,000 years. Therefore, protecting it is very important to bet on long-term, sustainable agricultural practices since one of the main issues associated with soil erosion is that it comes along a decrease in soil productivity. These productivity losses reduce the quantity and quality of the food we eat. A study based on the results of 40 soil associations reported that the effects of soil erosion on soil productivity were mostly the result of subsoil properties such as soil water availability, root growth or plow layer fertility – which impact yield results. In the end, with an unfavorable subsoil, erosion is easier and yields and productivity are more greatly affected.

Bits of sand are picked up and carried off by the wind, which can then blast the sides of nearby rocks, buffing and polishing them smooth. On the seashore, the action of waves chips away at cliffs and rakes the fragments back and forth into fine sand. Plants and animals also take a heavy toll on Earth’s hardened minerals. Lichens and mosses can squeeze into cracks and crevices, where they take root. As they grow, so do the cracks, eventually splitting into bits and pieces. Critters big and small trample, crush, and plow rocks as they scurry across the surface and burrow underground. Plants and animals also produce acids that mix with rainwater, a combination that eats away at rocks.

Sea wave erosion is accomplished primarily by hydraulic pressure, the impact of waves striking the shore, and by the abrasion (wearing, grinding, or rubbing away by friction) by sand and pebbles agitated incessantly by the water (see wave-cut platform). Wave impact and hydraulic action are usually most devastating to human-made coastal features such as breakwaters or moles. The impact and hydraulic action of storm waves are the most significant upon shores composed of highly jointed or bedded rock, which are vulnerable to quarrying, the hydraulic plucking of blocks of rock. Discover more information at erosion control guide.

We aim at assessing the impacts of forest ecosystem management practices (e.g., selection of tree species, harvesting) on soil protection, as its planning schedule impacts soil erosion over the long-term (Lu et al. 2004; Panagos et al. 2014, 2015b). Our research examines how management practices contribute to change the vegetation cover over time. It further encapsulates these changes within the RUSLE, by determining the corresponding C-factor. Seven stand-level forest management models (sFMM), i.e., sequences of management practices, with species-specific rotations, over a 90-year time span, are used for testing purposes. Specifically, we assess and compare sFMM according to their potential for the provision of water-related ecosystem services under two climate scenarios.

Construction sites use a number of materials, including wood lumbar, metal, and toxic chemicals. Both wind and water erosion can carry particles of those materials to nearby areas, creating a number of problems for society. Both erosion and sedimentation are major contributors to water pollution in a particular area. Erosion is the process of soil, rock, or other particles becoming removed from one place and carried to another location by natural forces such as wind or water. As an aftereffect, sedimentation occurs when certain particles settle at the bottom of storm drains or rivers. Unfortunately, that excess amount of water can spread pollutants and increase the potential for flooding.