79. The chief cause of accelerated erosion is
(1) Excessive rains
(2) Wind storms
(3) Overfilling and overgrazing
(4) All of these
Answers
ANSWER ; GRAVITY AND EXCESSIVE RAINS ☔
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Answer:
Soil Erosion Simple Definition
Soil erosion is a gradual process of movement and transport of the upper layer of soil (topsoil) by different agents – particularly water, wind, and mass movement – causing its deterioration in the long term.
In other words, soil erosion is the removal of the most fertile top layer of soil through water, wind and tillage.
What Is Soil Erosion? A Soil Erosion Scientific Definition
According to a Pereira and Muñoz-Rojas (2017) synthesis, soil erosion is one of the major causes, evidence of, and key variables used to assess and understand land degradation. Soil erosion is a consequence of unsustainable land use and other disturbances, such as fire, mining, or intensive agricultural uses. The loss of soil may have serious impacts on the quantity and quality of soil ecosystem services, with serious economic, social, and political implications.
Related: Does Planting Trees Really Help Fight Climate Change?
Different Soil Erosion Causes
Soil erosion is a complex process that depends on soil properties, ground slope, vegetation, and rainfall amount and intensity. According to Montgomery, modifications in land use are one of the most impactful ways of accelerating soil erosion. These changes then have a cascade effect as the loss of fertile topsoil cover sends millions of tons of sediments into lakes and reservoirs, changing ecosystems and impacting agricultural production and water quality. This has been the case with the Bo River in Vietnam.
According to Al-Kaisi from Iowa State University, there are 5 main types of natural soil erosion:
1) Sheet erosion by water;
2) Wind erosion;
3) Rill erosion – happens with heavy rains and usually creates smalls rills over hillsides;
4) Gully erosion – when water runoff removes soil along drainage lines
5) Ephemeral erosion that occurs in natural depressions.
Despite these types of soil erosion, as we have briefly mentioned above, if it wasn’t for human activities, today’s soils would be less susceptible to erosion and more resilient. What are the human causes behind soil erosion then?
The Main Causes And Impacts Of Soil Erosion
The most effective way of minimizing erosion is to guarantee a permanent surface cover on the soil surface, such as trees, pasture, or meadow. However, compared to original forest soils, soils in pasture fields and croplands have less capacity to hold up and are more susceptible to erosion. These soils also have less capacity to absorb water, which makes flooding (and its economic, social, and environmental impacts) more common.
1. Deforestation for Agriculture Is One of the Top Causes of Soil Erosion