SoilErosion.com

Soil Erosion Problems and Solutions

Human Activity

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.

The Causes and Effects of Soil Erosion

Soil erosion is a type of soil degradation that naturally occurs on all land. There are many causes of soil erosion, most of them being the same as other forms of erosion: namely water, ice, wind, and gravity. The effects of soil erosion can include the loss of fertile land to floods or water pollution, among others.

What Causes Soil Erosion?

According to geoscientist R. P. C. Morgan, soil erosion is usually caused by a mixture of events that naturally occur as well as the influence of human activity, having affected regions such as those bordering the Mediterranean Sea or China for millennia.

The largest cause of soil erosion cannot be linked to a single major event or activity. So which of the following events most contributes to soil erosion? There’s no straight answer, and each situation is different. 

Soil erosion is one of the side effects of heavy rain. Massive amounts of water can displace the top part of the soil, dispersing materials such as fine sand particles, organic matter, and silt. If the phenomenon continues over a longer period of time, even heavier sand and gravel particles will be displaced.

The most obvious and dramatic soil movement and erosion occur during short and intense thunderstorms. However, less intense but steady rainfall usually has the same effect, although it’s not as obvious.

Heavy farming is another major cause of soil erosion. Working the land by raising crops and through other agricultural activities will reduce the soil’s overall structure and the levels of organic matter within it, leaving it more vulnerable to the effects of heavy rain.

Tilling is the most significant farming-related factor in soil erosion, as the constant softening of the soil will enable erosion. An article published in Science Direct, “Evolution of the Plow Over 10,000 Years and the Rationale for No-Till Farming,” shows that farms where tilling is not used as a farming practice or is used sporadically, the chances of soil erosion significantly drop. 

Another major contributor to soil erosion is the physical shape of a particular piece of land. If the land is on an incline, the slope will facilitate the fast movement of water during rainfalls, oversaturating the soil and greatly contributing to its erosion.

Vegetation helps keep the structure of soils, so the lack of plants and crops on a piece of land is known to contribute to the acceleration of soil erosion. If an area of land is naturally less populated with plants, it can be seen as a clue regarding that particular area’s predisposition for erosion.

Wind is also known to greatly reduce soil quality and cause erosion, especially when paired with another erosion-facilitating factor. Light winds, however, do not do any damage to the soil structure. The types of soils most affected by wind are light and sandy soils, which can be easily lifted and transported onto other plains.

Facts About Human Soil Erosion

Human soil erosion is an ever-increasing factor in the overall erosion and degradation of land. Here are the most important human soil erosion facts:

  • According to recent studies, human activity causes as much as ten times more soil erosion than all the Earth’s natural processes combined. 
  • Studies made by University of Michigan geologist Bruce Wilkinson show that soil erosion caused by humans is by no means a new phenomenon. In fact, human influence on soil degradation, in general, can be traced back to the beginning of the first millennium. It is estimated that natural erosion affects about 60 feet of land every million years, while soil erosion in agricultural-heavy parts of the United States is estimated at 1,500 feet per million years, largely due to human influence. Other parts of the world show even higher erosion rates.
  • The effects of deforestation on soil erosion are also massive. Removal of trees without reforestation affects the planet in a number of ways and soil erosion definitely is one of them. First, trees provide the soil with valuable dead organic material, through leaves, animal droppings, and fruit that falls to the ground; all of these help the soil retain its shape. Also, deforestation exposes the soil to rainfall and its resulting effects on the soil. The tree roots also contribute to the overall structure of the soil, further linking deforestation and erosion.

How Does Soil Erosion Affect Streams and Rivers?

The effects of soil erosion stretch beyond the affected lands; they also damage streams and rivers. An article published in the Journal of Hydrology, “An Analysis of the Processes of Riverbank Erosion,” by J.M. Hooke, describes how land displacement causes increased sedimentation and pollution in running waters, clogging them and greatly affecting all the flora and fauna in the area, such as fish and other species.

It also limits the ability of affected rivers and streams to absorb larger amounts of water, increasing the chances of a flood during rains. The narrowing of river canals can also make boat navigation impossible. Soil erosion behind seawalls is also a major issue, as it can cause a seawall to fail, leading to property damage. 

Soil Erosion Effects

The effects of soil erosion can range from mild to catastrophic. The biggest effect is definitely the loss of topsoil, the fertile part of the land that can be used to grow plants. This alone can cause food shortages and famine in many parts of the world.

It also leads to further erosion, as the water won’t be as easily dispersed beneath the top part of the soil. Also, the lack of crops will reduce the organic nutrients in the soil, even more, leaving it barren for the long term.

Another major issue caused by soil erosion is possible water contamination and pollution. Since the water can’t be effectively absorbed by the land, runoffs will occur and carry fertilizer or pesticide with them.

The contaminated water can do further damage to the environment by poisoning and killing fish in nearby lakes and rivers. It also can make its way into sources of drinking water, becoming a real threat to the health of nearby populations.

Soil erosion is not a new problem for humankind, but it’s definitely a pressing one. Through careful farming and crop management, water control and drainage, as well as properly educating individuals about the dangers of soil erosion, the problem can gradually be eradicated and more fertile land will become available.

List of sources:

“Soil Erosion and Conservation,” R. P. C. Morgan

“Evolution of the Plow over 10,000 Years and the Rationale for No-Till Farming,” R. La, D.C. Reicosky, J.D. Hanson, Science Direct

“An Analysis of the Processes of Riverbank Erosion,” J.M. Hooke, Journal of Hydrology