The Effect of Erosion on our Earth
Soil is removed naturally by ocean currents, water, ice, wind or living organisms and is called erosion. This displacement of soil, mud, rock and other particles has been occurring for over 450 million years. This is a downward movement in response to gravity. Erosion is a natural process and can be healthy for the ecosystem, but oftentimes is made worse by human use such as deforestation/removal of vegetation, overgrazing, unmanaged construction or building of roads. Improved land use techniques such as terrace-building and tree planting can limit erosion. Excessive erosion can produce trouble such as ecosystem damage, loss of soil and receiving water sedimentation. The effects of erosion is sometimes linked to overpopulation
Generally speaking, erosion removes soil at approximately the same rate that soil is formed. However, increased soil erosion at a much faster rate that it is formed is a recent problem and has always due to mankind’s actions which leave the land unprotected and vulnerable. Coupled with naturally occurring erosive rainfalls or windstorms makes erosion a huge environmental issue. This occurs in both agricultural/farming areas as well as the natural environment. The effects of erosion impact two places, on-site (where the soil has become detached), as well as off-site (where the eroded soil goes).
With the use of today’s powerful farming tools in parts of the world the damage of soil is called tillage erosion. Soil erosion must be studied over short term and long-term timespans, since it is affected by both common and rare events, which can make it difficult to understand. The large storms cause deep gullies, which are obvious, but erosion due to smaller events can seem of no consequence when in fact there is a cumulative effect over the long term.
A main impact from erosion is the reduction of soil quality. Crops are especially reliant on the upper portion of the soil, which is susceptible to erosion from water and wind. This, in turn causes loss of nutrient rich upper layers of soil, as well as the reduction in water holding capacity of eroded soils. Erosion removes the “cream of the soil”. In countries with more affluence this accelerated water erosion problem can be fought against with the use of artificial fertilizers and technology, but in the poorer countries this is not an option. Loss of soil is a long term problem. Globally, the most serious consequence of erosion is the threat to long term sustainability of agricultural productivity.
Guesses on the relationship between soil erosion and crop productivity are made only at the plot scale and do not allow for general conclusions due to the large variability in outcomes. Monitoring the effects of erosion on yields is impossible since erosion is generally a gradual process and because of the long time-spans involved, its effect on productivity is often obscured. The risk of thwarting the effect of erosion on productivity, as erosion is a spatially variable process, it will have a considerable effect on the water availability and soil depth in certain locations but not in others, causing land uses that put a high demand on soil and soil water to migrate to areas with lower erosion rates. However, this will only happen in areas where the impact of erosion on productivity is significant, i.e. where erosion rates are high, and general productivity is low. The destructive impact of erosion is well known in developing countries such as Africa and Asia, but even in the prosperous countries there is a huge environmental concern. Erosion caused by water is a serious issue in Austria, New Zealand, Southern and Eastern Europe as well as some part of the United States.