Land Degradation

“Erosion occurs when the soil lacks protective vegetative cover”. (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) “Soil erosion reduces the productivity of the land by loss of water, soil, organic matter, nutrients, biota, and depth of soil.” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) With no conservation methods in place in certain places like: no contour farming, no cover crop, no terraces, no water ways, and tillage on steep hills is asking for a loss of productivity from the land. The effects on the land that non-conservation methods have is horrible. “Its effects are pervasive, and its damages are long lasting. (Pimentel and others 1995a)” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) Soil loss is a bigger factor then most people think. For an example an comparison of how much soil is actually lost in certain environments: “On sloping agricultural land under tropical rainfall, as much as 400t/ha/yr of soil is lost (Pimentel unpublished report,1990).”(Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) “Under arid conditions with relatively strong winds, as much as 5600t/ha/yr of soil has been reported lost (Gupta and Raina 1996).” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) Soil loss is a huge factor when conservation practices are not put into place. “According to some investigators, approximately 75 billion tons a fertile soil are lost annually from the world’s agricultural systems (Myers 1993).” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) Soil loss is a huge factor and many different things can be done to help slow it,

The aim is to identify and associate landforms, rock types and soils to the natural environment and its plants and animals and also to investigate the history of the local environment, comprising human impacts over the last 50 years. The impact of human alterations to the environment includes increased soil erosion and changes in river flows.

#18. The relationship between the diversity of plant root systems and erosion is that the roots protect the soil from erosion and the thinner the soil is the more perennial the roots become.

These are soils consisting predominantly of unaltered mineral material that have no surface/sub-surface horizon attributed to soil forming processes (unless buried under a 730cm thick deposit from the Holocene) (Avery, 1980;). These soils do not normally have continuous vegetation cover (Avery, 1980). They occur in very recently formed soil and may have a superficial organic or organo-mineral layer less than 5cm thick. Sometimes they have a buried horizon below 30cm of depth. (Thompson, 2007; Jarvis, 1984).

Extracted soil samples indicate simultaneous reduction of rainfall and occasional erosion. Both soil and sediment features show establishment of marked

The soil nutrient availability is higher around trees that are older bigger and less available around open fields. The rich soil tends to be near trees and cannot thrive thrive out in the open. Light availability differs with the types of trees and the open grasslands. Some plants have to survive and fight for sunlight. The decomposition rate is pretty quick because of termites that are in the

Franklin D Roosevelt once said, “the history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for its soil.” The United States began seeing sustainable management practices in farms, and healthier soil through this act. In 1982 through 2007, the United States soil erosion had declined by 43%” (Montanarella, 2015). Every year the United States loses about $400 billion dollars due to crop soil that is eroded. Soil is a limited resource and the largest resource for growing food, accommodating diverse ecosystems, and providing food resources. Therefore laws, acts, and provisions are necessary to protect this natural resource.

Problems include; land degradation, air pollution, water pollution and loss of biodiversity. These harmful impacts to the environment need to be addressed with urgency (Djekic and Tomasevic, 2016).

Thus, in conclusion, this essay has considered: the definition of soil, identifying the components of, and its contribution to soils unique properties, and the critical roles in which soils play to sustain life on Earth. Soil, therefore, coincides with life on our

Oceania region is a main victim of the over grazing as it’s 11.3% of land degradation out of 13%. In Europe, 9.8% of the lands less productive because of deforestation whereas 3.3% over cultivation affected in North America.

Erosion is destruction on the rangeland from wind, water, cattle, and other natural agents. The process where the Earth gets worn down and removes material from the top of the soil. Erosion has been dated back to Plato and Aristotle (Montgomery et al 2007). There are many types of erosion, water erosion, sheet erosion, gravitational erosion, and wind erosion (Zonghu et al 1991). Water erosion is mainly in fields, where rilling would take place (Evan and Morgan 1974). Water erosion usually happens due to the lack of cover on the rangelands, and heavy rainfall will destroy plants, and even move the soil. Wind erosion is the most common type of erosion. One of the greatest problems in the United State is the wind shifting the soil surface (Pierson et al 1961). Livestock such as cattle (Bos taurus) also pose a threat to the landscape. Hart (1949) did a study on dairy farms, and found excessive gully erosion. Land with erosion losses the ability to hold water for the soil (Gifford and Whitehead 1982; Boardman and Mortlock 1993) while also losing key nutrients such as

Except the direct damage from ocean,there are some other problems caused by sea level rise.One is the intrusion of salt water into fresh water table.Normally, the salt water wedge moves straight and back during the dry and rainy seasons.However, due to the extraction of fresh water and sea level rise,the intrusion of salt water is getting closer to inland not only laterally but also

This view is based on two ideas: first, that as more land is used in agricultural production, less land remains for wildlife or other environmental purposes; and second, that less productive agricultural lands are particularly susceptible to environmental damages. The loss of forests and other areas to crop production may be critical in developing countries with expanding cropland

Sea-level rise is one of the most significant effects of climate change. As global temperatures rise, ice in the polar-regions will continue to melt, dumping tons of additional water into the ocean. Warmer water temperatures will also lead the oceans to expand high projected rates of future sea-level rise. “These factors will cause sea levels to increase and swamp coastal areas all over the world” (Oceans and Sea Level Rise). Particularly, countries which are located in low-lying areas as well as islands, are concerned that their land areas would be decreased due to inundation and coastal erosion and, at worst, a large proportion of their population may be forced to migrate to other countries. Although flooding is an obvious consequence of rising sea levels, there are numerous other effects to consider. The current rising sea levels due to global warming are effecting the environment in a number of ways. (Oceans and Sea Level Rise)

Erosion removes the surface soils, containing most of the organic matter, plant nutrients, and fine soil particles, which help to retain water and nutrients in the root zone where they are available to plants. Thus it affects the productivity of plants. The remaining, the subsoil, tends to be less fertile, less absorbent and less able to retain pesticides, fertilizers, and other plant nutrients. There are over 17,000 soil types recognized worldwide. They vary widely in structure, erodibility, fertility, and ability to produce crops. A generalized soil profile for a humid, temperate climate is showed. When the natural vegetation is cleared for agriculture, soils become exposed to erosion and loss of soil fertility. The removal of the above-ground natural