SOIL EROSION
I. INTRODUCTION
Soil erosion is one of the most devastating environmental disasters which always happen all over the globe and it is caused by unavoidable natural phenomenon factors such as climatic factor, physical characteristics of soil and cover and management factor and the solution on how to reduce soil erosion which are managing soil surfaces, improving organic matter and making grasses waterway.
II. BODY
Factor of Soil Erosion
A. One of the reasons that contribute to this soil erosion problem is climatic factor. (Anonymous, Van Buren County Community Centre, 2003)
1. The only one kind of climate factor that really influences soil erosion is rainfall. (Sanat, 2006)
i. Rainfall partly through the detaching power of raindrops
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(Anonymous, Van Buren County Community Centre, 2003)
• Human doing – desertification also cause soil erosion. (Sanat, 2006)
Timber logging and massive agriculture cultivation will leave a very big area of deserted soil surface. (Smith, 1941)
No soil cover will easily lead to soil erosion.
Ways To Reduce Soil Erosion
A. One of the ways to reduce soil erosion is by managing soil surfaces. (Gardiner & Miller, 2008)
1. Terraces can be used to reshape the land in areas of high-intensity rainfall. (Gardiner & Miller, 2008)
i. It reduces the slope steepness and therefore the velocity of run-off water. (Gardiner & Miller, 2008) ii. Two types of terrace and they are level terrace and graded terrace. (Plaster, 2002)
2. Conservation tillage sharply reduces sheet and rill erosion. (Gardiner & Miller, 2008)
i. Lowest cost conservation method per ton of soil.
• Diffusion and mass flow of nutrients improves in the moister soil, increasing the nutrient uptake. (Plaster, 2002)
• Less time and in field work and lower fuel costs. (Plaster, 2002)
3. Strip-cropping can be used in all conditions along with contour tillage. (Gardiner & Miller,
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It is used to:
i. It can prevent gulling where water naturally gathers on a slope. ii. It can be used to collect excess water from tillage contours. iii. It serves as outlets for terraces.
(Plaster, 2002)
III. CONCLUSION
Climatic factor (rainfall), physical characteristics of soil and cover and management factor are the three major factor that will definitely lead to the disastrous soil erosion and cause millions difficulties to the society and ecosystem especially.
REFERENCE
Anonymous. Van Buren County Community Centre (2003). Factors influencing erosion. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from http://www.vbco.org/planningeduc0043.asp
Gardiner D.T. & Miller R.W. (2008). Soils in our environment eleventh edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 365-370
Plaster E.J. (2002). Soil science and management fourth edition. Clifton Park, United States: Thomson Delmar Learning. p. 94-97, 265, 307-310
Sanat T. (2006). Soil science – dynamics of erosion. New Delhi: Dominant Publishers & Distributors. p.188
Smith D.D. (1941). Factors affecting rainfall erosion and their evaluation. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from
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