Question

Define soil erosion, it’s cause and a few remedial steps that can be taken to control soil erosion.

Answer 1

Hint:
It can be referred to as the removal of the topmost layer of the soil. The layer can be removed due to air, water, or any other climatic condition or environmental effect. It also leads to the different shapes of the dunes or rocks.

Complete answer:
The displacement of the upper layer of the soil due to any environmental effect is termed as Soil erosion. This effect can be caused by both biotic components and abiotic components. The biotic components include animals, plants, and humans and Abiotic components include air, soil, water. This process can take place in both a slow and fast manner. One of the most important things about soil erosion is that it leads to the loss of crops which eventually affects the life of a farmer and the agricultural sector. Soil erosion also leads to bad quality of water and drainage systems and causes sinkholes. The soil erosion affects both “on-site” and “Off-side”. The “ on-site” effects include lower productivity in the agricultural sector, it also disturbs the ecological balance. The “ off-site” effects are related to the water bodies.

Additional information: Some of the important factors that affect the process of soil erosion are climate, soil structure and composition, vegetative cover, and Topography. Some important human activities that affect soil erosion are Agricultural practices, deforestation, roads and urbanization, and climate change.

Note:
Some important ecological problems caused by soil erosion are land degradation, sedimentation of the aquatic ecosystem, and Airborne dust pollution. By increasing the vegetative cover of the environment, we can reduce the effect of soil erosion.