Sunday, 8 June 2014

SOIL EROSION

SOIL EROSION
  • Soil erosion is a natural process
  • To prevent desertification, loss of top fertile soil layer should be stopped.
  • Essential to land fertility
  • Top 15cm deep top soil is a rich medium containing organic matter, minerals, nutrients, insects, microbes and worms.
  • Soil is a non renewable resource in human life span
  • Rate of soil formation is 2.5 cm of top soil in 200 to 1000 yr.
  • Soil erosion is the movement of soil from one place to another.
  • 24 billion metric tons of top soil is being lost every year worldwide.
  • Main agents responsible for movement
  • Water (erosion occurs when rain detaches soil particles on impact and runoff transport material)
  • Wind ( Moves soil particles from one place to another)
CAUSES OF SOIL EROSION

Timber cutting
Over grazing
Urban Development
Intensive farming
Agricultural Mismanagement


CONSEQUENCES

Loss of top fertile soil and nutrients
Reduced water bearing capacity of land
Reduced Crop Yields (30% world’s cropland lost productivity from soil erosion)
Air Pollution
Sand blasting of Crops and Buildings



 








    No comments:

    Post a Comment