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Soil erosion

Soil erosion happens when the top layer of dirt, known as topsoil, is worn away by different factors such as wind or water. Soil erosion happens all over the country, but it is particularly high in the midwest. While dirt might not seem as important as other parts of the ecosystem, it is a vital material.

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In Iowa alone, cropland loses roughly 5.5 tons of soil per acre per year because of erosion.

Soil erosion is detrimental because it leads to loss of fertile topsoil, reduced crop yields, water pollution, increased flooding and habitat destruction, ultimately impacting food security and ecosystem health.

Natural causes aren’t the only thing that affects soil erosion — human activity is a large contributor to it. When loose dirt is left exposed when farming or clearing land, soil erosion is more likely.

Types of erosion include:

Sheet erosion: This type of water erosion is almost invisible. It is the uniform removal of a thin layer of soil across a wide area by sheets of water, rather than defined channels. Lighter colored soils are a sign that sheet erosion has occurred over the years.
Wind erosion: This type of erosion is highly visible. Although wind erosion is a problem, water erosion is generally much more severe.
Rill erosion: This type of erosion occurs during heavy rains when runoff water concentrates and flows down a slope, forming small, parallel channels, or rills, that make farming difficult.
Gully erosion: This type of erosion makes deep channels, or gullies, some of them so big that it’s impossible to cross with farm machinery.
Ephemeral erosion: This type of erosion creates small, temporary channels due to concentrated water flow. It differs from gully erosion because it can be crossed by farm equipment, but the channels can reappear in future water runoff events.