Causes Of Soil Degradation And Erosion Flashcards
What are the types of soil erosion?
Rain splash
Wind blow
Surface run-off
What natural features reduce erosion?
Vegetation
Soil organic matter
High infiltration rate
What can be used to estimate soil erosion rates
The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)
What can soil erosion lead to
Desertification
What is desertification
The process of which fertile land becomes desert
What is soil erosion
The removal of particles of soil due to wind, water or movement of animals
What would rate erosion be equal to without humans
Rate of formation
Humans activities increased erosion along rate
What is rain splash?
Where soil particles are dislodged by the splash of a raindrop
The soil will travel in all directions down hill will go further due to gravity
What is surface runoff erosion
Occurs when the soil cannot store anymore water so water cannot infiltrate this causes water to run over the surface taking soil with it
What is wind blow?
Dry soils in arid areas can be picked up and carried by the wind size of soil particle affects movement
Where does wind blow usually occur
In dry arid areas
Areas undergoing desterification
Areas with little to no vegetation (no roots to bind the soil)
Little clay content- not much holding the soil together
What happens to fine soil particles (wind blow)?
Fine particles are carried through the air
What happens to medium particles (wind blow)
Medium particles skip or bounce not light enough to float but not so heavy that they roll
What happens to large particles (wind blow)?
Large particle slide or roll (as wind energy isn’t powerful to cause significant movement)
How can the presence of vegetation reduce soil erosion?
It means less water reaches the soil and is either intercepted by living plants or the leaf litter acts like a shield and reduce rain splash and the amount of soil taken away
Acts as a natural windbreak slowing down wind and reducing wind erosion
Roots bind soil holding it together
