"Soil Erosion"
by Alyssa Mae O. Villamor
What is Erosion?
Erosion is displacement of solids (sediment, soil, rock and other particles) usually by the agents of currents such as, wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living organisms (in the case of bioerosion). There are two different types of erosion "mechanical erosion" and "chemical erosion" Each of these has a different effect on the environment. Mechanical erosion would include water, wind, sun, ice, natural disasters such as earthquakes and shoreline erosion. Chemical erosion would be acid rain, over use of fertilizer, human land use, deforestazation and overgrazing.
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 be concurrent.
Erosion is an 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 or trail 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 like 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.
Approximately 40% of the world's agricultural land is seriously degraded.[1] In Africa, if current trends of soil degradation continue, the continent might be able to feed just 25% of its population by 2025, according to UNU's Ghana-based Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.
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 be concurrent.
Erosion is an 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 or trail 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 like 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.
Approximately 40% of the world's agricultural land is seriously degraded.[1] In Africa, if current trends of soil degradation continue, the continent might be able to feed just 25% of its population by 2025, according to UNU's Ghana-based Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.
What causes Erosion to happen?
Because we are dealing about environmental problems caused by man, we will focus more on the chemical erosion which was said to be caused by human land use. There are many causes of erosion. First is deforestation. Deforestation means destruction of our forestlands. Deforestation results from removal of trees without sufficient replacement. As we all know, trees plays a very important role on the environment. It doesn’t only give us food, but protection also from calamities. How? It protects us from calamities like floods by absorbing the water that the rain is producing. When there are no trees, there’ll be difficulties in the absorption of water which causes the soil to soften and results to erosion. Just like what happened in the landslide in Aurora Quezon. They abused the usage of trees so Mother Nature gave revenge in the form of landslide. Second is illegal mining. Mining is known for digging precious gems and stones under the land. For example is diamond. Diamonds today are considered to have a great value to most people and are equivalent to thousands and thousands of money. Because of poverty, every one of us wants to be rich. Who doesn’t, right? So, miners, to be able to find more stones and gems, are digging so hard and so deep. Stones are said to be the foundation of soil. When stones under the soil are gone, it softens and results again to soil erosion.
Because we are dealing about environmental problems caused by man, we will focus more on the chemical erosion which was said to be caused by human land use. There are many causes of erosion. First is deforestation. Deforestation means destruction of our forestlands. Deforestation results from removal of trees without sufficient replacement. As we all know, trees plays a very important role on the environment. It doesn’t only give us food, but protection also from calamities. How? It protects us from calamities like floods by absorbing the water that the rain is producing. When there are no trees, there’ll be difficulties in the absorption of water which causes the soil to soften and results to erosion. Just like what happened in the landslide in Aurora Quezon. They abused the usage of trees so Mother Nature gave revenge in the form of landslide. Second is illegal mining. Mining is known for digging precious gems and stones under the land. For example is diamond. Diamonds today are considered to have a great value to most people and are equivalent to thousands and thousands of money. Because of poverty, every one of us wants to be rich. Who doesn’t, right? So, miners, to be able to find more stones and gems, are digging so hard and so deep. Stones are said to be the foundation of soil. When stones under the soil are gone, it softens and results again to soil erosion.
What are the effects of soil erosion?
The removal by erosion of large amounts of rock from a particular region, and its deposition elsewhere, can result in a lightening of the load on the lower crust and mantle. This can cause tectonic or isostatic uplift in the region. Research undertaken since the early 1990s suggests that the spatial distribution of erosion at the surface of an orogen can exert a key influence on its growth and its final internal structure. Farms and seas are affected when soil erosion happens so people living there loses source of work and living. It also causes the sea to absorb the chemicals in the soil and results to death of some organisms in the sea. In farms, it results to death of plantcrops which happened to be a source of food. So it means erosion also results to food shortage. It also results loss of habitat not only for animals but also for us. The phosphorus in the soil may also mix with bodies of water in soil erosion. As we all know, phosphorus is a common constituent of agricultural fertilizers, manure, and organic wastes in sewage and industrial effluent. It is an essential element for plant life, but when there is too much of it in water, it can speed up eutrophication (a reduction in dissolved oxygen in water bodies caused by an increase of mineral and organic nutrients) of rivers and lakes. Soil erosion is a major contributor of phosphorus to streams. But the hardest part is, loss of loved ones specifically death of people.
The removal by erosion of large amounts of rock from a particular region, and its deposition elsewhere, can result in a lightening of the load on the lower crust and mantle. This can cause tectonic or isostatic uplift in the region. Research undertaken since the early 1990s suggests that the spatial distribution of erosion at the surface of an orogen can exert a key influence on its growth and its final internal structure. Farms and seas are affected when soil erosion happens so people living there loses source of work and living. It also causes the sea to absorb the chemicals in the soil and results to death of some organisms in the sea. In farms, it results to death of plantcrops which happened to be a source of food. So it means erosion also results to food shortage. It also results loss of habitat not only for animals but also for us. The phosphorus in the soil may also mix with bodies of water in soil erosion. As we all know, phosphorus is a common constituent of agricultural fertilizers, manure, and organic wastes in sewage and industrial effluent. It is an essential element for plant life, but when there is too much of it in water, it can speed up eutrophication (a reduction in dissolved oxygen in water bodies caused by an increase of mineral and organic nutrients) of rivers and lakes. Soil erosion is a major contributor of phosphorus to streams. But the hardest part is, loss of loved ones specifically death of people.
Instinct and reflections:
The environment is really a wonderful gift to us from God. Almost all of the things we need in our everyday life come from it. But we abuse it for we want to sustain our needs. Because of this, we give Mother Nature a reason not in a literal way to send calamities that can lead to destruction of the earth and danger to the human beings and other life forms. Sensitivity and discipline. That’s the answer. The answer that may change the world’s unpleasing aura into a good one. The answer that will also change many people’s lives. We should be very thankful and grateful to our Creator for He gave us wonderful things. In return, we should appreciate it, love it and lastly, to take care of it for it may vanish in just one snap.
♀_♥.Thanks for reading. I hope you learned something. ♀_♥
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