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Soil Erosion Problems and Solutions

Soil Erosion

Tips for Using Silt Bags for Erosion Control

Erosion is a common problem on construction sites and extensive agricultural projects, and there are numerous ways to control erosion on a large scale. Silt bags have been proven to be an effective way to control erosion on construction sites. This guide will explain how silt bags are used for erosion control and give you a few tips for using silt bags yourself.

What Are Silt Bags?

Silt bags are dewatering products manufactured from geotextile fabrics. Dewatering is the process of removing water from a construction area with water pumps. If an area was flooded in the past, it may be necessary to pump water away from the site before beginning construction or excavation. By controlling the movement of sediment, silt bags help construction sites comply with stringent stormwater regulations. 

Silt bags filter sediment and other materials from water. When you utilize silt bags, water flows through the bags and sediment is trapped inside.

Applications

Silt bags are used to filter water and can be used at construction sites, wastewater treatment plants, and any job site where sediment needs to be controlled. It’s necessary to mitigate erosion around construction sites in order to minimize the amount of sediment that is carried into lakes, rivers, and streams. 

Sediment can carry pollutants that are detrimental to wildlife, so it’s important to manage the movement of sediment when possible. Using silt bags at construction sites will help protect nearby wildlife, bodies of water, and natural resources.

You can use coir mats, logs, or netting in conjunction with silt bags at construction sites. Coconut coir fibers have an unmatched ability to retain and absorb water. After the silt bag filters the sediment from the water, coir mats or logs will absorb the water for the surrounding vegetation. In this way, sediment-free water is able to be absorbed into the soil or go down a storm drain. 

In addition, the coir mats, logs, and nettings secure the soil in place, preventing the filtered water from washing away the existing soil. Coir products are eco-friendly and biodegradable and provide essential nutrients to the soil as they decompose. They are wholly organic and leave behind no waste products.

Tips for Using Silt Bags

When you want to use silt bags for erosion control, you should first assess the area and see how you can protect the soil and surrounding vegetation. To prevent further erosion, you should support and stabilize the area.

Instead of throwing away the contents of the silt bag, you can put the silt and sediment back on the area for stabilization and support as long as they don’t contain pollutants or hazardous materials. Check the silt bags frequently for clogs or other impairments and replace the bag if needed.

If it’s necessary to pump water away from your construction site, it’s a good idea to use silt bags to control erosion and sediment movement. Using silt bags for erosion control is good for the environment and allows construction to take place without harming the existing vegetation or soil.

Human Contributions to Soil Erosion

Soil erosion is a serious consequence that affects the entire planet. Studies continue to support the fact that humans are the root cause of soil erosion, whether erosion occurs from wind or water. As the effects of erosion contribute to soil’s ability to produce and regenerate, soil quality continues to rapidly deplete. PH levels and nutrients are altered from erosion events and modern farming practices do little to offset these effects and often make it worse.

Population growth and agriculture are driving forces in the damage caused by erosion. As awareness grows, land management practices continue to evolve and search for solutions to mitigate erosion’s effects or work to prevent it from taking place.

What is Soil Erosion?

Soil erosion is the wearing away of soil layers from the effects of wind and water. Most soil erosion is caused by human activity, and agriculture and development are the primary drivers of wind and water erosion.

Wind erosion strips off topsoil and transports nutrients downwind while weakening soil’s stabilizing forces. The wind carries sediment over miles of land, leading to the exacerbation of allergies and upper respiratory conditions.

Soil erosion caused by water bombards soil with moisture it cannot absorb or resist. Topsoil and its nutrient layer might be carried away by a rain event, or soil’s pH and microbial colonies might be compromised.

Along with removing vital layers of fertile soil, wind and water erosion also carry away fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Erosion carries and distributes these materials within sediment to incite environmental harm. 

Why is Soil So Important?

Soil might seem like a passive material but it is a living and evolving substance that is the heart of where we grow our food, construct our shelters, and practice our business. Earth’s soils are in a delicate balance and formed over millennia by forces of wind and rain and natural erosion events. The shaping of new soil depends on the area where it forms, which forces contribute, local microbes that make soil home, and soil’s ability to grow and produce. 

As the human population continues to inflate, agriculture land is increasingly at risk. Degradation of soil can render some areas unfit for production, leaving land vulnerable to excess erosion. Currently, soil’s ability to regenerate and replace what was lost is locked in an ongoing battle with population growth. In time, nature may not be able to keep up and land that is still able to produce may become less and less viable.

Human Soil Erosion Facts

When we take a closer look at the human impact on soil health and the part human activity plays in erosion, there come certain eventualities. In a 2006 Cornell University study on the effects of human activity and soil erosion, The Journal of the Environment, Development and Sustainability, stated the following facts.

  • Humans have been responsible for excess soil erosion since the first millennium.
  • Natural soil erosion occurs at a rate of 60 million feet per one million years.
  • Human activity accounts for ten times more soil erosion than all natural erosion processes combined.
  • China and India lose soil to erosion thirty times faster than natural occurrences, while the U.S. loses soil ten times faster.
  • In some agricultural areas, soil erosion rate is 1500 feet per one million years.
  • Worldwide, 37,000 square miles of cropland are lost each year to erosion.
  • Erosion has rendered 30% of the world’s croplands unproductive.
  • In the U.S., an estimated $37 billion is lost in agricultural production due to erosion and its effects.
  • Damage can exceed $400 billion per year worldwide.
  • Wind erosion transports airborne dust which can carry human infectious disease and pathogens, including tuberculosis and anthrax.
  • Some dessert soils have lost their entire A horizon or topsoil.

 What Human Activities Lead to Soil Erosion?

Agriculture and development are primary human practices that lead to or worsen soil erosion. As the consequences to infertile soil and climate change become more apparent, taking action to offset the effects of soil erosion is vital to maintaining land for agriculture. Fortunately, changes are taking place in the following areas.

Overgrazing: Farmers may have an overabundance of livestock. Sheep, cattle, and goats consume protective vegetation or compact the soil when they trod over it.

Overcropping. Crops constantly in rotation deny the land time to lay fallow and restore soil’s nutrients and balance pH. Soils dry out due to overcropping which leads to infertility. Farmers might compensate with excess fertilizers or artificial nutrients.

Deforestation: Clearing large land areas to harvest wood for construction or as a source of fuel leave those stripped lands bare and vulnerable. Removal of vegetation exposes land to water and wind erosion. Lack of reforestation can result in a loss of biodiversity, compromising soil structure and health.

Steps to Minimize Soil Erosion

Minimizing conditions that lead to soil erosion, as well as lessening impacts, may slake the damage. Planting crops with ample time between rotations can give the soil a chance to regenerate and repopulate with microbes and nutrients. Reduced soil tillage also has beneficial effects by lessening soil aggregate loss while reinforcing soil’s staying power.

Strip or terrace planting can help support soil in erosion events while providing nutrients and balancing pH. Using natural geotextiles help soil keep its moisture level in balance and provides nutrients to the soil. Replacing lost vegetation helps soil repopulate beneficial bacteria and regain their fertility and resilience.

Although extensive damage has already been done, steps can be taken to reduce the impact of wind and water erosion. Since human activity accounts for nearly all excessive erosion consequences, recognizing the role humans play and taking action to protect the planet and her growing layer of soils might mean the difference between a fed planet and a starving one.

Actions like altering farming practices to lessen land disturbance, planting natural vegetation and managing land so that the soil is protected and cared for. This results in lands that are able to produce because the soil is fertile and in balance so that it can work to human advantage, which is what we intended to begin with.

How is a Changing Climate Affecting Environmental Erosion?

The land’s ability to grow and produce food and shelter for the earth’s human population is at risk. Wind and water erosion contribute to massive amounts of soil and land losses while weakening the soil’s chances of recovering.

Human population growth and agricultural practices are taking their toll on soil’s ability to rebound and recover from erosion events. Native vegetation removed from land exposes soil to the elements and weakens its structure by impeding microbe populations. Bare land limits the abundance of nutrients that are normally returned to the soil through decomposition. 

Changes in temperature and precipitation affect soil health overall. Climate change plays a key role in weather events that create conditions for wind and water erosion. Because these conditions are primarily man-made, it will take man-made actions to reverse or minimize the damage. 

What is Climate?

There can be some confusion when referring to climate, going so far as interchanging the words climate and weather. While weather relates to immediate or day-to-day conditions (it’s snowing, or a storm is brewing), climate refers to an overall state of being. Climate is a compilation of weather events over a period of time and can illuminate patterns and inspire predictions. Changes in climate affect the soil’s ecosystem through changes in precipitation, temperature increases, plant growth rates, and loss of nutrient intake and uptake.  

Climate change refers to the acceleration of Earth’s natural cycles, how those changes impact weather events, and the planet’s overall health. Fossil fuel use, agriculture, and development all contribute to climate change and its effect on weather. As soil is compromised due to these changes in climate patterns and day-to-day weather cycles, its fertility is threatened, which in turn diminishes human efforts to grow food. 

How Does Climate Affect Soil?

Climate changes are affecting both temperature and precipitation cycles. As temperatures increase, precipitation changes. One example is when rainfall replaces snowfall. To remain stable and productive, soil must retain certain levels of moisture depending on its region. Precipitation is more than the amount of water that drops onto the soil; it also relates to how quickly water evaporates and returns to the atmosphere. Temperature and precipitation can contribute to soil moisture. However, if the process of pulling water back out of the soil, referred to as ET, or evapotranspiration, isn’t taking place, pH levels and microbial activity might degrade.

Soil requires many actions to maintain its vitality. As each component is impacted, soil struggles to recover and continue production. Loss of available land is directly related to soil erosion. Human activity contributes to soil losses 10 times faster than the rate of loss through natural erosion processes. China and India see their soil loss at more than 30 times the normal erosion rate.

How Does Climate Change Affect Erosion?

Because wind and water events dictate soil erosion, it is apparent that climate change directly affects the prevalence of erosion. Fall and winter are traditionally the end of the harvesting season and signal the onset of the rainy season. Bare land is more vulnerable to erosion during this period, as its protections are compromised. Crop covers are lower or nonexistent, and soil is unable to stay in place and resist runoff.

The Pacific Northwest’s Regional Approaches to Climate Change (REACCH) annual report states that, ‘Although warming results in an increase in rain and a decrease in snow water equivalent into late winter, soil losses are tempered. We hypothesize that this is due to the early onset of biomass growth caused by warming,”

Although this statement might indicate that climate change can have its advantages, the swap of rainfall for snowfall is not an advantage. Additional rainfall means an increase in precipitation. As more rain than snow falls, and because snow is less dense, rain accumulates at a faster rate and heightens the conditions for soil erosion. 

Soil and Climate Change

Soil is the basis for food and shelter, and the degradation of its health can lead to environmental, economic, and human health losses. Under current agricultural practices, tillage alone could increase the erosion rate from 0.17 tons per acre to 0.5 tons per acre, resulting in a 192% increase in soil loss.  

Erosion leads to the devastating loss of topsoils as well as a weakening of the underlying subsoils. Acidity accumulates in soil and trickles down to ultimately affect the O horizon — soil’s parent layer.

Controlling Erosion in the Face of Climate Change

By altering farming practices and replanting protective vegetation, we might be able to minimize climate change effects on soil and erosion loss. The use of coir textiles that help soil retain water and maintain pH levels while diverting erosion’s path prove to reduce loss, as well. Taking care not to compact wet soil or let it dry out contributes to a healthy microbial colony that aids in soil’s nutrient uptake, distribution, and regeneration.

The Geography Department at University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences offers a hopeful scenario: “There’s an obvious warning here with respect to ongoing and future climate change — relatively minor climate-driven disturbances could result in disproportionately severe erosion and land degradation. But there’s also an opportunity — in some situations relatively minor climate-driven disturbances in areas already experiencing erosion or degradation could be tipped into a minimum erosion, non-degrading state.”

It is not too late to recognize the effects of climate change and soil erosion. Committing to practices that help reduce instances of erosion or working to avoid it in the first place can have a positive impact on the land that is still able to work in human favor. As conditions change for better or worse, human interaction might be the first line of defense to man-made situations. 

When precautions are put into place and soil is given the chance to recover from previous seasons or harvests, the land might have an opportunity to bounce back and continue to produce. Stemming the effects of soil erosion is a crucial component for overall soil health and, ultimately, the health of the planet.

Erosion Effects on Soil Bacteria

The erosion of soils due to water or wind can disrupt a network of creatures invisible to the naked eye. These organisms work together to compose a fertile and complete soil. When land is stripped of its natural vegetation, its protection against erosion results in soil losing its ability to hold water and nutrients.

As organic matter is lost, farmers or landowners may add fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides frequently or aggressively in an attempt to bring back soil harmony. Communities of microbes are also disturbed in the process of tilling soil and during erosion events. As the soil loses its working populations of microbes, pH levels may rise or free fall. Pest infestation is much more likely and nutrient availability is heavily impacted.

Why Does Soil Matter?

The formation of soil first happens beneath the uppermost visual layer where plant growth takes place. The soil might contain several layers or horizons, each of which contributes to the structure of the uppermost layer; the topsoil. Beneath the topsoil is subsoil that can be negatively impacted by erosion, especially when pH balance reaches below the surface to make the proper balance of nutrients and gases that much harder to achieve.

The topsoil, or what geoscience refers to as the A horizon, contains a myriad of organic matter that contributes to overall soil health and productivity. Soil is composed of rock, clay, or sand as well as plant and animal tissue going through the process of decomposition. This breakdown of material contributes to a thriving microbial community working together to balance and regenerate the soil’s make-up.

What Happens in Soil Erosion?

Agricultural land can experience rates of erosion 10 times the normal rate of loss. Approximately 1,500 feet of soil loss per 1 million years can be attributed to agriculture. While that may not seem like much, consider that the normal rate from natural erosion events is 60 feet of soil loss per 1 million years. Also considering that it takes thousands of years for soil to form and populate, the loss of half the world’s topsoil is a devastating consequence and one from which nature may struggle to rebound.

What Are Soil Microbes?

Soil is a living, moving substance that is home to different types of bacteria that contribute to the soil’s composition, nutrient availability, and recycling processes. These microbes are vital to soil health and aid in the breakdown of organic material like decaying plants and animals.

Microbes help to complete biochemical processes such as transforming nitrogen to a form usable by plants. Microbes contribute to the recycling of nutrients, thereby rebuilding the soil’s structure over and over again.

Soil contains aggregates that help protect its rate of decomposition. The National Resource Conservation Society defines soil aggregates as: “Soil aggregates are groups of soil particles that bind to each other more strongly than to adjacent particles. The space between the aggregates provides pore space for retention and exchange of air and water.”

Tilling land breaks down soil aggregates to compromise soil stability. As aggregates are crushed under heavy machinery, carbon might be released and soil microbes may overfeed on a now abundant energy source. As microbes feast, their normal rate of decomposition and recycling is disrupted. Once the feeding frenzy is finished, nutrients are not replaced and microbes die out once the food supply is exhausted. The living soil then becomes vulnerable to pests, inciting producers to turn to pesticides and other chemicals to restore balance.

Are There Different Types of Soil Microbes?

Microbes are the working group that continuously renews soil’s breakdown-rebuild process. They can be divided into sub-categories:

  • Micro-organism: Consists of soil bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes.
  • Mesofauna: Includes mites, springtails, proturans, and pauropods.
  • Macrofauna: These are in the form of earthworms and termites.

Soil microbes are generally comprised of these groups with most microbes taking on the role of decomposers. This group can consume simple carbon compounds while they break down pesticides and pollutants. Decomposers work to retain soil nutrients as well as prevent the loss of nutrients such as nitrogen. The rest might form partnerships with plants to exchange nutrients or contribute to the recycling of nitrogen and the degradation of pollutants.

As wind and water erosion strip away beneficial topsoil, biodiversity takes a hit and microbe populations suffer. Once these tiny organisms and beneficial bacteria are not in place to do their jobs, soil integrity is lost and will struggle to recover. Moreover, unhealthy soil can move and expand into other areas when it is left unprotected.

Steps to Aid Soil Recovery

Water and wind erosion can have serious effects on soil’s microbial health. As conditions for recovery continue to be assessed and evaluated, steps can be taken now to help minimize the effects of erosion on the soil’s hard-working microbial colony. 

Over-tilling soil and stripping the land of its protections put soil at risk. Replacing the vegetation that aids in feeding the soil’s microbes helps to counterbalance the loss of those tiny creatures. Bare land sets the stage for wind or water erosion and altering planting techniques (strip-farming, terracing, no-till) can lessen the disturbance of the soil. Using coir geotextiles can assist soil by holding it in place, keep it from drying out, or balance soil’s pH for a thriving microbe community.

Soil health is dependent on several factors and when one or more are imbalanced there is cause for concern. When microbe activity is disrupted or if its natural decomposition cycles are altered, soil quality suffers. Resulting issues of erosion, pH imbalance, and loss of soil fertility all adversely affect the soil’s ability to continue to produce.

Once the protection of soil is as big a priority as its use to grow and produce is, human activity can turn the man-made tide to encourage a thriving microbial community. Reducing damaging practices and adding natural textiles and plants can help curb erosion and hold soil in place. Earth’s upper layer is where we build and live. Protecting that layer encourages the soil to continues to produce and recover with the help of its microbial village. Time and space are critical components for these little guys to help soils convert food to energy, aid decomposition, and regenerate earth itself.

How Soil Erosion Can Affect Soil pH

Soil erosion is generally caused by one of two elements: wind or water. These two elements distribute soil sediments differently during erosion. Depending on the conditions surrounding the erosion, there could be economic and environmental losses. Water and wind erosion affect soil content and may reduce microbe induction while raising soil’s acidity, or pH level, which interferes with growth and yield.

Knowing soil’s pH can provide insight into problems such as crop loss and low yield. When a grower knows and understands these issues, they can take action and prevent further economic losses.

What is pH?

A crucial factor for soil health lies in its pH level. pH, or potential hydrogen, measures the concentration of hydrogen ions in soil. These concentrations determine whether soil is acidic or alkaline. pH levels of 5.5 and under are desirable for producing healthy crops. Subsoils should measure 4.8 or lower for more alkaline soil. The lower the pH level, the less acidity is in the soil.

Soil’s acidity or alkalinity determines whether crops will see their full yield, or be reduced unhealthy, acidic crops. pH levels decide the stability of the land for crop production by the measure of nutrients available for both soil and plant health.

While low pH should not result in production losses, high pH concentrations and acidity disturb the induction of microbes into the soil, which will weaken its overall structure.

What is Soil Erosion

Sheet and gully erosion caused by water can strip topsoil of its nutrients and change soil’s structure so that its underlying subsoils are also compromised. Saltation, an effect of wind erosion, tosses soil particles into the air and carries them great distances. These particles can cause upper respiratory conditions to flare while they blanket homes and roadways, and smother crops.

The environmental impacts of soil erosion are felt in loss of crop yields due to soil compromise and nutrient unavailability. Loss of animal habitat is felt as insects and microbes are partly responsible for soil’s structure and integrity.

Agriculture suffers overall as it is this land stripped bare of its vegetation. It is bare land that is most vulnerable to erosion and resulting acidity. Development also suffers losses as infrastructure is weakened by erosion.

How Does Soil Erosion Affect Soil pH?

Soil that is maximized to maintain its value as a resource to produce healthy, thriving crops is lower in pH for alkaline soil. Reducing high acidity in soil is needed to produce strong crops and prepare the land for the next growing season. 

As erosion occurs, it takes more than just soil. Erosion carries fertilizers and pesticides along with it as it flows or blows. These sediment deposits might affect surrounding soils and spread (or cause) acidity to nearby areas. Because acidic soil is responsible for nutrient deficiencies and toxicities found in plants, balancing pH is a crucial component to economic health.

As erosion contributes to a rise in the water table, and because pH is usually higher in moist soils, water erosion poses serious consequences to soil’s balance and stability. As acidity accumulates, it might affect surrounding areas by furthering the imbalance and making it that much more difficult to correct or offset the damage.

Managing Acidic Soils

Once pH levels are high in topsoils, underlying subsoil horizons might also be affected. If the parent layer, or O horizon, becomes too acidic, the fight to bring back balance intensifies. Knowing the pH levels of planting ground before the first crops go in is a wise move to prevent unexpected disaster.

Fortunately, there are methods a grower can use to reduce soil acidity and bring pH levels to their ideal levels for their incoming crops.

  • Applying the proper amount of nitrogen and sulfur fertilizers can have a positive effect on pH and lower its levels over time. The key is adding the proper amounts of fertilizer at the appropriate time depending on the crop’s needs.
  • Liming is a tried-and-true method of lowering soil pH. However, this method has proven to be time-consuming and labor-intensive. Moreover, not every farm can afford to purchase lime to control pH. Liming’s effects tend to last a short time and may contribute to nutrient deficiencies in the soil. Liming may also trigger a decline in microbes, compromising soil’s crucial make-up.
  • Cropping practices that improve soil’s organic matter and soil’s overall health is the ideal method of reducing soil pH. Geotextiles in natural fibers like coir can be used in strip planting and terracing to serve double duty: reduce effects of erosion and balance soil pH. Coir’s neutral pH makes it an ideal accompaniment for soil to maintain its overall structure and integrity.

How to Test Soil pH

Testing soil pH is relatively simple and can be performed with various measurement techniques. Be sure to test soil in more than one location for an accurate pH range.

  • PH kit with pH paper: Look for kits that contain a relatively broad pH level scale of 1-14. Some kits may concentrate the range with reading levels between 4.5-10. This method tests soil by adding in a little water then dipping the strip in the soil to take a pH reading. 
  • Soil pH meter: These meters are used by pushing the probe into the soil to read the meter’s measurement. 

How to Prevent pH Imbalances in the Soil

Reducing runoff and erosion are key components in maintaining soil’s ideal pH. Protecting bare land with added vegetation and the use of geotextiles is warranted and recommended to reduce the effects of soil nutrient loss. Additionally, frequent soil testing can alert growers to potential problems before they plant the first seeds.

Soil is composed of many elements for a reason. A living, evolving material, soil’s make-up can be compromised by excessive erosion or runoff that not only affects the growing topsoil but the supporting horizons beneath. Soil pH doesn’t have to be complicated to maintain, and with a little diligence and regular testing, soil will sound the alarm when there may be something wrong.