SOIL EROSION AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE By Gabriel Bogner

SOIL EROSION: AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE By: Gabriel Bogner, Eli Forouzan, Michael Simozar

Overview of Soil Erosion Soil erosion- slow process that occurs when wind or water removes parts of soil Problem: causes soil to lose minerals/nutrients Erodes phosphorus from rocks into water sources Leads to algal blooms Decreases water quality Before Soil Erosion After Soil Erosion

Causes of Soil Erosion Wind and water mainly erode soil Water and wind removes soil particles Factors in erosion amount: Speed: faster agent blows, more soil it can erode Plant cover: plants protect the soil, more dense plant cover yields less damage from erosion

Different Types of Erosion Sheet erosion- water erosion, can be seen through lighter soil colors Wind erosion- occurs through wind, can be very severe Rill erosion- caused by heavy rains, water bodies form over land making farming challenging

Different Types of Erosion Gully Erosion- erosion where water forms a deep depression by weathering rocks and soil away Gullies become impossible to farm on Ephemeral erosion that occurs in natural depression Can still be farmed on

The Problem With Soil Erosion Plants become unable to grow Desertification and drought Floods and famine Land becomes infertile Erosion removes top layer of soil first ○ tends to be most nutrient rich soil When eroded into water, water quality decreases Aquatic life hurt

Helping Soil Erosion How to prevent soil erosion Cover up susceptible soil Always grow plants ○ Benefits of plants Absorb water that can lead to runoff Roots hold soil intact Decrease impact of rain before it hits soil, decreasing erosion effectiveness Minimize uncovered soil

Helping Soil Erosion Gardening helps too! Use fertilizer or dead animal remains ○ Give nutrients and minerals to soil, allow plants to grow Use crop rotations ○ Prevents plants from using all minerals in soil

Helping Soil Erosion Take matters into your own hands Allow plants to grow in their natural environments ○ Suited to receive necessary amounts of resources where plants are indigenous Do something about water bodies ○ Stop water flow by putting logs, stones, or sticks Fix erosion gullies by placing fertile soil

Economics and Soil Erosion States are doing one (or more) of three things Control plan required for land disturbances Research on annual soil losses Required permits for approved land Improved research Assistance from/to other countries Enforcing fines for violations

Raising Soil Erosion Awareness Did you know? In South Africa, it is estimated that 300 -400 million tons of soil are lost a year For every ton of agricultural crop produced, 20 tons of soil on average are lost Global loss of productive soil through erosion is 5 -7 million hectares per year

Contacts For further questions, go to: Share-Net. PO Box 394, Howick, 3290. Tel. 0332 -305721. Environmental and Development Agency. PO Box 322, Newtown, 2113. Tel. 011 -834 1905 The Valley Trust. PO Box 33, Botha's Hill, 3660. Tel. 031 -777 1930. The Farmers Support Group. University of Natal, PO Box 375, Pietermaritzburg, 3200. Tel. 0331 -68385/6/7. Kwa. Zulu Dept. Nature Conservation. Head Office, P/Bag X 98, Ulundi, 3838. Tel. 0358 -700552.

Bibliography Works Cited Al-Kaisi, By Mahdi. "Soil Erosion: An Agricultural Production Challenge | Integrated Crop Management. " Integrated Pest Management at Iowa State University. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http: //www. ipm. iastate. edu/ipm/icm/2000/7 -242000/erosion. html>. "Soil Erosion, Maine Department of Environmental Protection. " Maine. gov. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http: //www. state. me. us/dep/blwq/doceducation/dirt. htm>. "Soil Erosion. " The Department of Biodiversity & Conservation Biology - UWC. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http: //www. bcb. uwc. ac. za/Envfacts/erosion. htm>. "Erosion and Sediment Control Laws. " Nrcs. usda. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <www. nrcs. usda. gov/technical/references/pdf/NRCLaw sch 3. pdf>.