Soil erosion rates

Hunt, A.G. Wu, J.Q. (2004) Climatic influences on Holocene variations in soil erosion rates on a small hill in the Mojave Desert. Geomorphology 58, 263-289. 

Estimation of Soil Erosion Rates and Geographical Sourcing of Material... 

Trimble, S. W, Crosson, P. (2000). U.S. soil erosion rates-myth and reality. Science, 289, 248-250. 

Lee, L. K. 1990. The dynamics of declining soil erosion rates. Journal Soil and Water Conservation 45 622-624 Bloodworth, H., and J. L. Berc. 1998. Cropland acreage, soil erosion, and installation of conservation buffer strips preliminary estimates of the 1997 National Resources Inventory, http //www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/land. 

Singh, G., et al. 1992. Soil erosion rates in India. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 47 97-99 Zhu Z., Q. Wen, and J. R. Freney, eds. 1997. Nitrogen in Soils of China. Dordrecht Kluwer Academic. 

Soil is a key component of the rock cycle because weathering and soil formation processes transform rock into more readily erodible material. Rates of soil formation may even limit the overall erosion rate of a landscape. Erosion processes are also a key linkage in the rock cycle... 

In contrast, under transport-limited conditions, weathering rates are ultimately limited by the formation of soils that are sufficiently thick or impermeable to restrict free access by water to unweathered material. Erosion rates... 

Based on predicted weathering and erosion rates of the region, we estimate the profile to be several million years old. Because the soil has developed in situ, the topmost grains have reacted with water for the greatest extent of time. With depth, the total "lifetime" of the particles as soil decreases. This implies that the topmost quartz surfaces should be "reactively mature" (all fines removed, deep grown-together etch pits) and the bottom-most quartz surfaces should be "reactively young" (plentiful fines, fresh surfaces). ... 

River transport of clay minerals into the ocean is spatially and temporally variable. The global annual suspended load of river sediment into coastal waters currently averages 12.6 X 10 ton. This flux is approximately 10% less than was delivered before humans began damming rivers. (One notable exception is the Mississippi River, whose sediment load has increased due to very high rates of soil erosion. The riverine sediments deposited in the mouth of the Mississippi River form one of the world s largest deltas.)... 

Soil erosion, therefore, is the greatest threat to the economic and environmental sustainability of United States agriculture (Mueller, 1995). Pimentel et al. (1995) concluded that soil erosion is a major environmental and agricultural problem worldwide, and efforts to reduce these losses must be supported. Erosion rates have exceeded replacement values on most sloping fields since the Europeans introduced plowing and grain farming as North America was settled. 

Increasing water infiltration Maximum infiltration of rainfall water through the soil surface and top layer must be achieved. Crust formation and clogged soil pores (often a result of soil erosion) that promote water run-off should be prevented. Application of compost, incorporation of plant material and mulching are important means of building up organic matter in the topsoil layer, which increases infiltration and improves the rate of water conservation. 

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