Soil erosion by human activities

Soil erosion by human activities

Mar 13,  · Soil erosion is the weathering away of topsoil caused by water, wind or tillage. Pesticides and other chemicals can get trapped in soil, polluting streams and rivers as the soil breaks apart. Soil erosion can also lead to mudslides and floods, negatively affecting the structural integrity of buildings and roadways It's important to learn all about the different types of soil erosion if we want to combat the adverse effects on the environment caused by irresponsible human activities. Soil erosion is a form of soil degradation where the upper layer of the soil is displaced In addition to erosion, soil quality is affected by other aspects of agriculture. These impacts include compaction, loss of soil structure, nutrient degradation, and soil salinity. These are very real and at times severe issues. The effects of soil erosion go beyond the loss of fertile land

Soil Erosion – Causes and Effects

The agents of soil erosion are the same as the agents of all types of erosion: water, wind, ice, or gravity. Running water is the leading cause of soil erosion, because water is soil erosion by human activities and has soil erosion by human activities lot of power. Wind is also a leading cause of soil erosion because wind can pick up soil and blow it far away. Activities that remove vegetation, disturb the ground, or allow the ground to dry are activities that increase erosion.

What are some human activities that increase the likelihood that soil will be eroded? Agriculture is probably the most significant activity that accelerates soil erosion because of the amount of land that is farmed and how much farming practices disturb the ground Figure 1.

Farmers remove native vegetation and then plow the land to plant new seeds. Because most crops grow only in spring and summer, the land lies fallow during the winter. Of course, winter is also the stormy season in many locations, so wind and rain are available to wash soil away. Tractor tires make deep grooves, which are natural pathways for water.

Fine soil is blown away by wind, soil erosion by human activities. The soil that is most likely to erode is the nutrient-rich topsoil, which degrades the farmland.

Figure 1. a The bare areas of farmland are especially vulnerable to erosion. b Slash-and-burn agriculture leaves land open for soil erosion and is one of the leading causes of soil erosion in the world. Grazing animals Figure 2 wander over large areas of pasture or natural grasslands eating grasses and shrubs. Grazers expose soil by removing the plant cover for an area. They also churn up the ground with their hooves. A land is overgrazed if too many animals are living there.

Grazing animals can cause erosion if they are allowed to overgraze and remove too much or all of the vegetation in a pasture, soil erosion by human activities. Logging removes trees that protect the ground from soil erosion.

The tree roots hold the soil together and the tree canopy protects the soil from hard falling rain. Logging results in the loss of leaf litteror dead leaves, bark, and branches on the forest floor.

Leaf litter plays an important role in protecting forest soils from erosion Figure 3. Many of the tropical forests that remain are currently the site of logging because North America and Europe have soil erosion by human activities harvested many of their trees Figure 4. Soils eroded from logged forests clog rivers and lakes, fill estuaries, and bury coral reefs. Figure 4. Deforested swatches in Brazil show up as gray amid the bright red tropical rainforest.

Surface mining disturbs the land Figure 5 and leaves the soil vulnerable to erosion. Figure 5. a Disturbed land at a coal mine pit in Germany. b This coal mine in West Virginia covers more than 10, acres Some of the exposed ground is being reclaimed by planting trees. Constructing buildings soil erosion by human activities roads churns up the ground and exposes soil to erosion. In some locations, native landscapes, such as forest and grassland, are cleared, exposing the surface to erosion in some locations the land that will be built on is farmland.

Near construction sites, dirt, picked up by the wind, is often in the air. Completed construction can also contribute to erosion Figure 6. Figure 6. Urban areas and parking lots result in less water entering the ground.

Water runs off the parking lot onto nearby lands and speeds up erosion in those areas. Recreational activities may accelerate soil erosion. Off-road vehicles disturb the landscape and the area eventually develops bare spots where no plants can grow. Figure 7. a ATVs churn up the soil, accelerating erosion. b Hiking trails may become eroded. Soil erosion is as natural as any other type of erosion, but human activities have greatly accelerated soil erosion.

In some locations soil erosion may occur about 10 times soil erosion by human activities than its natural rate. Since Europeans settled in North America, about one-third of the topsoil in the area that is now the United States has eroded away, soil erosion by human activities.

Improve this page Learn More. Skip to main content. Module 4: Weathering and Soil Formation. Search for:. Reading: Causes of Soil Erosion The agents of soil erosion are the same as the agents of all types of erosion: water, wind, ice, or gravity. Farming Agriculture is probably the most significant activity that accelerates soil erosion because of the amount of land that is farmed and how much farming practices disturb the ground Figure 1.

Figure 3. Logging exposes large areas of land to erosion. Did you have an idea for improving this content? Licenses and Attributions. CC licensed content, Shared previously, soil erosion by human activities.

Soil Erosion by Human Activities

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10 Main Causes Of Soil Erosion - Info Curiosity

Feb 06,  · Erosion Impacts of Weathering and Erosion On Human Activities • The impacts of weathering and erosion on humans can be categorized into positive and negative impacts. Positive Impacts • The weathering of rocks helps to form the basic component of soil. Soil is very essential for Human blogger.com enables farming for food crops In agriculture, soil erosion refers to the wearing away of a field's topsoil by the natural physical forces of water and wind or through forces associated with farming activities such as tillage. Erosion, whether it is by water, wind or tillage, involves three distinct actions – soil detachment, movement and deposition It's important to learn all about the different types of soil erosion if we want to combat the adverse effects on the environment caused by irresponsible human activities. Soil erosion is a form of soil degradation where the upper layer of the soil is displaced