Runoff washes away the soil particles from sloping. Inherent factors affecting soil infiltration soil texture, or the percentage of sand, silt, and clay in a soil, is the major inherent factor affecting infiltration. Brandenborg as legal notice the contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of. Soil erosion occurs when soil is removed through the action of wind and water at a greater rate than it is formed soil the soil covering the surface of the earth has taken millions of years to form and we must learn to respect it. Soil erosion can be a slow process that continues relatively unnoticed or can occur at an alarming rate, causing serious loss of topsoil. Soil erosion by wind occurs under dry conditions and high wind velocity. Workshop on common criteria for risk area identification. The erosion potential increases with increasing flow velocity and depth.
Soil physical properties affecting soil erosion 235 potential, one of the forces drawing water into the soil, which occurs as the infiltration process proceeds. Texture is the principal factor affecting kfact, but structure, organic matter, and permeability also. Pdf in ethiopia, soil erosion is a severe problem and a major cause of the decline of agricultural productivity. The soil erosion site the onsite impacts of erosion. Each additional loss re sulting from soil erosion imposes cumulative penalties, generating marginal costs for society, which. If all of the soil, or even just the top layer of soil, in your area was suddenly washed away, there would. Factors affecting soil erosion hazards and conservation. Water moves more quickly through the large pores in sandy soil than it does through the small pores in clayey soil, especially if the clay is compacted and has little. Water erosion affects most of the planet and is the result of rainfall and surface runoff, aggravated mainly by agricultural management systems zachar, 1982. The greatest challenge for sustainable soil management. Factors affecting soil erosion it is impossible to playdown the importance of preventing soil erosion, but like many problems before you can address it you first have to understand it. Although the effect on erosion rates depends on a number of local factors, such as the type of soil and the crop, the 39 examples involving direct comparisons of soil erosion under conventional and notill methods compiled here represent a wide variety of settings with very different erosion rates and show that notill practices reduce soil. Water and wind erosion are two main agents that degrade soils. Soil erosion reduces cropland productivity and contributes to the pollution of adjacent watercourses, wetlands and lakes.
Susceptibility to wind erosion is related rather definitely to the moisture content of soils. Vegeta tion can regenerate from a degraded state as long as the seed stock remains viable and there is soil for seeds to germinate and grow in. In this paper we quantify the relationship between crop yields and soil water available to plants, the most important yielddetermining factor affected by erosion, at the european scale. National academy of sciences washington, dc soil erosion is the detachment and movement by wind or water of soil particles from their place of origin. Soil erosion negatively affects crop yields and may have contributed to the collapse of ancient civilizations. Below are some of the major effects of soil erosion on the soil.
There are several factors which affect the soil erosion in a particular area. Environment agency thinksoils factors that influence erosion and runoff generic soil groups heavy soils factors that influence erosion and runoff 17 generic soils groups heavy soils generic soil groups 3 heavy soils these soils have a clay content 35% and include sandy. In unstable soils, a second cause for the decrease in the infiltration rate with time is the deterioration of soil structure on the surface occurring during the infiltration process. There are several factors which effect how rapid a soil will erode. Pesticides and other chemicals can get trapped in soil, polluting streams and rivers as the soil breaks apart. Overgrazing by cattle causes removal of vegetational cover of the soil. However, the adoption of these practices is far below the expectation. The aim of this work is to study the dominant factors influencing soil erosion and temporal change. This series of technical notes examines the urban activities causing soil degradation and sedimentation, and the. In ethiopia, soil erosion is a severe problem and a major cause of the decline of agricultural productivity. Dr david favismortlock, april 2017 the soil erosion site. Mar 14, 2017 generally, soil erosion is the relocation of the topsoil layer from its original location. This type of soil erosion is caused by heavy rainfall and it occurs in sloppy lands, such as mountains and hills. Soils can be defined many ways, depending upon who uses them.
Soil loss equations can assist contractors in quantifying soil loss and the effects of bmps for risk management decisions. The impact of soil erosion on agricultural potential and. Soils and water, spring 2009 coos watershed association. The conventional wisdom has been to assume that surface roughness increases the resistance. Soil erosion by water 9sheet erosion soil is eroded uniformly across a slope 9rill erosion numerous tiny gullies rills randomly occur 9gully erosion with increased rainfall duration and intensity, runoff volumes increase and concentrate in small ravines. Soils, soil characteristics and factors affecting management. Factors affecting adoption of soil and water conservation. Mechanics of water erosion soil erosion by water is a threestep process. Whether erosion may have such an impact on modern societies as well, is subject to debate. Workshop on common criteria for risk area identification in. The key to controlling soil erosion by water is maintenance of a protective cover e.
It is impossible to playdown the importance of preventing soil erosion, but like many problems before you can address it you first have to understand it. In this broadcast i would like to share these factors with you and briefly discuss them. Rainfall washes away the top soil and results in erosion. Apart from the natural factors such as torrential rainfall, resulting in swift flow of water, strong winds in. Soil erosion soil mixture of minerals, organic material, living organisms, air, and water. Section 4 erosion and sediment process june 2011 48. Jul 24, 2018 57 videos play all soil and water conservation engineering by prof.
Sheet erosion removal of soil particles in thin layers from an area of gently sloping land. There are many factors which influence the process of soil erosion. The soil erosion site the processes of soil erosion. As wind and water erode or wash away topsoil, they take with them the vital. Water and wind are the two main mechanisms by which soil is eroded and transported.
Environment agency thinksoils factors that influence erosion and runoff soil texture factors that influence erosion and runoff 10 soil texture soil texture soil texture soil with high sand content is not cohesive and has a high risk of erosion soil texture refers to the relative proportion of clay, silt and sand. According to the iowa state university extension, soil erosion results in a lessened soil water capacity, as well as loss of nutrients and carbon, which all have negative effects on crop productivity. Effects of soil erosion on soil properties as related to. Since rapid soil erosion results in a loss of topsoil, it can have a detrimental effect on plants. In the present study, spatial markov chains were applied to explore the impacts of the regional context on soil erosion in the xiangxi river watershed, and thematic mapper remote sensing data from 1999 and 2007 were employed. Soil erosion involves the breakdown, detachment, transport, and redistribution of soil particles by forces of water, wind, or gravity. Soil degradation due to water erosion is a serious threat to the quality ofthe soil. Soil erosion is the weathering away of topsoil caused by water, wind or tillage. Soil erosion is one of the unresolved problems of rural agriculture. Soil physical properties affecting soil erosion in tropical soils. Environment agency thinksoils factors that influence erosion and runoff generic soil groups heavy soils factors that influence erosion and runoff 17 generic soils groups heavy soils generic soil groups 3 heavy soils these soils have a clay content 35% and include sandy clay, clay and silty clay textures.
There are ways to mitigate the impact that agriculture has on soil erosion rates. Soil erosion can deplete the fertility of the soil thereby making the soil unsuitable for the growing of crops and vegetables. What is soil erosion and what are the effects of soil erosion. Certainly, there are costs to society for cleanup and repair from soil and its constituents polluting the water and air. Brandenborg as legal notice the contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the european commission. Rajendra singh iit kharagpur july 2018 soil erosion, soil and water management, part 24 duration. Soil erosion is the result of a number of factors, working in isolation or in association with one another. Soil is the most fundamental and basic natural resource for all life to survive. How human activity affects soil erosion earth science erosion is the process by which rock and soil are removed from the surface of the earth as a result of water and wind action and thereafter deposited to other areas on the earths surface. Methodologies for assessment of soil degradation due. Frye department of agronomy almost all people recognize that erosion is harmful, but few realize how harmful. Soil erosion is the process whereby the topsoil of a field or land is gradually eroded or washed away by things such as wind and water. A by the national soil erosionsoil productivity research planning committee, science and education administration ag ricu i t ural research ccurate estimates of future soil a productivity are essential to make agricultural policy decisions and to plan the use of land from the field scale to.
Because of the effectiveness of vegetative cover in controlling soil erosion, it is usually the primary choice for longterm erosion control unless there are reasons for doing otherwise. Interriii erosion plays a very limited part in directly affecting topography or in. Soil physical properties affecting soil erosion in. Soil erosion can also lead to mudslides and floods, negatively affecting the structural integrity of buildings and roadways. St scientist, soil itwestigatiom, bureau of chemistry and strvux ohaplinb, inspector of qrasing, branch of research, forest contents parti. A by the national soil erosion soil productivity research planning committee, science and education administration ag ricu i t ural research ccurate estimates of future soil a productivity are essential to make agricultural policy decisions and to plan the use of land from the field scale to. Soil erosion implies that the eroded soil must deposit downstream sedimentation. Erosion potential is reduced by minimizing rainfall impact and by reducing the velocity and depth of surface water flow. Soil erosion is the wearing away of the land surface by physical forces such as rainfall, flowing water, wind, ice, temperature change, gravity or other natural or anthropogenic agents that abrade, detach and remove soil or geological material from one point on the earths surface to be deposited elsewhere.
Influencing factors and their interactions of water erosion based on. Soil porosity and permeability porosity is the total amount of pore space in the soil 30 to 60% affects the storage of air and water affects the rate of movement of air and water permeability is the ease in which water, air, and plant roots move through the soil ease of air, water and root movement affects rate of water intake and drainage. For one soil, k factor is the rate of erosion per unit erosion index from a standard plot. Structured interview scheduled was used to collect data from 50 respondents using simple random sampling. It leaves the affected area exposed to more sporadic erosion making it a sequential occurrence. Weathered rock and mineral grains capable of supporting life. The negative impacts of soil erosion environmental. Did you ever stop to think about how important soil is to your daily life. Effects of soil erosion on soil properties as related to crop productivity and classification w. Factors affecting soil erosion and effects of soil. The main onsite impact of soil erosion is the reduction in soil quality which results from the loss of the nutrientrich upper layers of the soil, and the reduced waterholding capacity of many eroded soils.
They studied the impact of surface roughness coefficients and. Valuation and assessment of soil erosion costs point of view scielo. K soil erodibility l length of slope s slope steepness c cover practice p support practice a soil loss in. Precipitation is the most forceful factor causing erosion. Soil is taken to be the worlds most valued resource. Of those, the role of surface roughness in soil erosion is perhaps one of the most vexing problems.
Data on the effect of slope length and steepness under natural precipitation are rare for slopes above 16%. Soil loss for erosion is a natural phenomenon in soil dynamics, influenced by climate, soil intrinsic properties, and morphology, that can both trigger and enhance the process. Soil erosion and conservation developments beyond the usle it is clear that the origin and purpose of the usle was not to describe the processes affecting soil erosion. Generally, soil erosion is the relocation of the topsoil layer from its original location. Interventions were taken by introducing soil and water conservation practices. Dregne soil erosion is the main reason why desertification is irreversible. An example of a piece of land that has undergone soil erosion. The potential for soil erosion increases if the soil has no or very little vegetative cover of plants. Some aspects of the wastage caused by page soil erosion i general statement i 2. Soil erosion triggers a number of impacts but the main area of concern in this report is soil degradation by erosion affecting the worlds food supply. The objective of more recent research on soil erosion has been to describe such processes so that more effective identification and predictability of. This assessment will be started in africa north of. Sep 14, 2007 soil erosion negatively affects crop yields and may have contributed to the collapse of ancient civilizations.
The assessment on key ecological factors affecting runoff and soil erosion and the usefulness of plotlevel monitoring of soil erosion was conducted by collecting runoff and soil loss records from 14 runoff plots. Aug 14, 2007 although the effect on erosion rates depends on a number of local factors, such as the type of soil and the crop, the 39 examples involving direct comparisons of soil erosion under conventional and notill methods compiled here represent a wide variety of settings with very different erosion rates and show that notill practices reduce soil. Plant and residue cover protects the soil from raindrop impact and splash, tends to slow down the. Detachment transport of the detached particles deposition of the transported material. Anthropic activities, like inappropriate agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing, forest fires and construction activities, may exert a remarkable impact on erosion processes or, on the other hand, contribute. While erosion is a naturally occurring process, human. The assessment on key ecological factors affecting runoff and soil erosion and the usefulness of plotlevel monitoring of soil erosion.