human activities that activities that cause soil erosion
Answers
Explanation:
Soil is a non-renewable resource that once it is eroded it is not renewed. Soil erosion is the permanent change of the main characteristics of soil that could see it lose its fertility, pH, colour, humus content or structure. Soil erosion occurs naturally by wind or harsh climatic conditions but human activities include overgrazing, overcropping and deforestation.
Overgrazing occurs when farmers stock too many animals such as sheep, cattle or goats on their land. The animals damage the soil surface by eating the vegetation and either digging into wet soil or compacting dry soil with their hooves. This can prevent grass growing and slow down the percolation of water through the soil. This leads to the damaging of the soil structure as the level of nutrients is removed and the air between peds is compressed out. This then can reduce the amount of water between the soil crumbs as the weight and movement of the animals flattens and compresses the soil. Soils with less vegetation become exposed, drier and prone to further erosion by the wind and rain. Soils that become drier tend to be vulnerable to the winds blowing the top soil away. The Sahel region of Africa is an example of soil erosion caused both by overgrazing and population growth. In the West of Ireland additional funding from the EU in the 1990’s saw an increase in the sheep population. However, areas of West Mayo suffered soil erosion by the additional hooves and further funding was needed to sort this problem.