Summary

  • Erosion is the wearing away of the land surface by agents that abrade, detach, remove, and deposit the material elsewhere. Erosion has especially been accelerated by human or anthropogenic activities.
  • Erosion impacts soil, water, and air quality.
  • Some farming practices reduce water quality as topsoil, rich in nutrients, is detached, transported and deposits into water bodies.
  • Urbanization is another contributor to erosion as the construction and movement of material creates conditions for soil erosion.
  • Erosion is commonly broken down into wind and water erosion though energy is the main factor in both.
  • Climate, soil properties, and land management (along with others) influence water and water erosion.

Factors Influencing Erosion

Water Erosion 

Wind Erosion 

climate

climate

soil properties: aggregation /soil moisture

soil properties

soil cover

soil cover

land management

land management

topography

soil surface roughness

 

unsheltered distance

 

wind velocity and turbulence

  • The three processes in water and wind erosion are detachment, transport, and deposition.
  • Types of water erosion include splash, sheet, rill, and gully.
  • Types of wind erosion include suspension, saltation, and creep.