Erosion
hideFor morphological image processing operations, see Erosion (morphology) For use of in dermatopathology, see Erosion (dermatopathology)
Erosion is the removal of solids (sediment, soil, rock and other particles) in the natural environment. It usually occurs due to transport by wind, water, or ice; by down-slope creep of soil and other material under the force of gravity; or by living organisms, such as burrowing animals, in the case of bioerosion.
Erosion is distinguished from weathering, which is the process of chemical or physical breakdown of the minerals in the rocks, although the two processes may occur concurrently.
Erosion is a noticeable intrinsic natural process but in many places it is increased by human land use. Poor land use practices include deforestation, overgrazing, unmanaged construction activity and road-building. Land that is used for the production of agricultural crops generally experiences a significant greater rate of erosion than that of land under natural vegetation. This is particularly true if tillage is used, which reduces vegetation cover on the surface of the soil and disturbs both soil structure and plant roots that would otherwise hold the soil in place. However, improved land use practices can limit erosion, using techniques such as terrace-building, conservation tillage practices, and tree planting.
A certain amount of erosion is natural and, in fact, healthy for the ecosystem. For example, gravels continuously move downstream in watercourses. Excessive erosion, however, does cause problems, such as receiving water sedimentation, ecosystem damage and outright loss of soil.
For more information about Erosion, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with erosion
New lentil being readied for market
Mar 16, 2010 |
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"Essex," a new lentil variety developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists, has a lot to offer: high seed yields for growers, nitrogen-fixing bacteria for wheat crops, and a tasty source of protein for consumers ...
Researchers introducing sustainable agriculture practices to improve food security
Mar 15, 2010 |
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Two Virginia Tech professors are leading research teams that will work with scientists and small-scale farmers in South America and the Caribbean to increase food production, improve soil quality, and reduce ...
Lava likely made river-like channel on Mars
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Mar 04, 2010 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Flowing lava can carve or build paths very much like the riverbeds and canyons etched by water, and this probably explains at least one of the meandering channels on the surface of Mars. These ...
Forage plant wards off ruminant gastrointestinal nematode
Feb 18, 2010 |
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A common pasture plant could help foraging ruminants ward off damaging gastrointestinal nematodes that can cause illness and death, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report.
Plant breeding helps revive western rangelands
Feb 12, 2010 |
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For more than two decades, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have been developing new grasses and forages that can hold their own on the rugged rangelands of the western United States. As a result of that work, ...
Maximum height of extreme waves up dramatically in Pacific Northwest
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jan 25, 2010 |
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A major increase in maximum ocean wave heights off the Pacific Northwest in recent decades has forced scientists to re-evaluate how high a "100-year event" might be, and the new findings raise special concerns ...
Arctic could face warmer and ice-free conditions
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 29, 2009 |
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There is increased evidence that the Arctic could face seasonally ice-free conditions and much warmer temperatures in the future.
Study on Great Lakes erosion dredges up controversy
Dec 17, 2009 |
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The Great Lakes aren't as great as they once were. A U.S.-Canadian study released Tuesday reveals that unexpected erosion in the St. Clair River following a 1962 dredging project has permanently lowered Lakes Michigan and ...
A novel, 10,000-year study of strata compaction and sea-level rise on English coast
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 10, 2009 |
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Environmental scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and Durham University have employed a novel combination of geological and model reconstructions of wetland environments during a 10,000-year period ...
Ida now a coastal low assaulting the Mid-Atlantic
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 12, 2009 |
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Ida is one stubborn girl. Her remnants have moved out to sea and reformed as a powerful coastal low pressure system that's been raining on the mid-Atlantic since Tuesday night, November 10. The Geostationary ...
Fortuitous research provides first detailed documentation of tsunami erosion
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 27, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, a group of scientists working in the Kuril Islands off the east coast of Russia has documented the scope of tsunami-caused erosion and found that a wave can carry away ...
Saving sand: South Carolina beaches become a model for preservation
Oct 23, 2009 |
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While most people head to Myrtle Beach for vacation, a group of scientists have been hitting the famous South Carolina beach for years to figure out how to keep the sand from washing away.
Rip currents pose greater risk to swimmers than to shoreline
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 13, 2009 |
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Rip currents -- powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from the shore -- represent a danger to human life and property. Rip currents are responsible for more than one hundred deaths on our nation's ...
Aqua Satellite sees Tropical Storm Parma lingering in the Luzon Strait
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 05, 2009 |
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Two instruments on NASA's Aqua satellite captured views of Tropical Storm Parma early today, October 5, while it was almost stationary in the Luzon Strait and it appears that it will sit there for several ...
Biofuel from Corn Stover
Sep 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- How much corn crop residue, or stover, can be removed for biofuels without harming soil? An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study of a 10-mile circle around the University of Minnesota’s ...
