The Dust Bowl
In which decade did the devastating Dust Bowl incident occur in the American and Canadian Great Plains?
The 1930s.
According to our presentation, how many years does it take nature to build just one single inch of fertile topsoil?
500 years.
What severe human respiratory illnesses are triggered when wind erosion kicks up massive dust storms?
Asthma and breathing problems.
What agricultural impact happens when topsoil washes away, leaving delicate plant roots directly exposed to the burning sun?
Root exposure.
What is the term for planting brand new trees to stop soil erosion by using their roots as natural anchors?
Afforestation
The Dust Bowl was a catastrophic period of what specific type of soil erosion?
Wind erosion.
What type of erosion occurs when heavy tractors and farming tools physically push the soil down slopes?
Farming erosion (or Tillage erosion).
Why does soil erosion cause massive drinking water costs for human communities?
Water treatment facilities must spend millions more to filter out heavy mud and sediment from tap water.
Why does soil erosion force farmers to waste massive amounts of extra water on their fields?
Eroded soil completely loses its natural ability to hold moisture.
Which method cuts graduated steps into steep hills to slow down rushing water and catch falling sediment?
Terrace Farming.
Roughly how many million tons of topsoil are cited as being completely blown away in the year 1935 alone?
850 million tons.
Why does deforestation instantly create a "loss of canopy" problem when it rains?
Without tree leaves to block the impact, heavy raindrops slam directly into the dirt at full speed.
What happens to fish and underwater creatures when heavy mud from erosion clogs up local rivers?
Aquatic suffocation (they choke because it blocks their gills and sunlight).
What environmental impact describes fertile green landscapes permanently transforming into dry, barren lands that can no longer support life?
Desertification.
Plowing horizontally across a slope to create mini-dams that cut hillside soil loss by up to 50% is called what?
Contour Plowing.
Approximately how many people left the Plains states during this time, with hundreds of thousands moving to California?
25 million people.
What cause of erosion involves livestock completely stripping away plants and leaves the ground totally bald?
Overgrazing
How does muddy sediment from erosion disrupt the breeding cycles of animals like fish and frogs?
It covers the gravel beds of rivers, destroying their eggs before they can hatch.
What do we call the deadly "dead zones" created in lakes when nutrient-heavy soil runoff causes toxic plants to explode?
Algal blooms.
True or False: Leaving farm fields completely bare and empty between planting seasons is the best way to protect soil from harsh weather.
False (Leaving them empty causes erosion; you should use cover crops or mulch).
The abandonment and foreclosure of many farms during the Dust Bowl directly worsened what major economic crisis across the region?
The Great Depression.
In construction and mining, what term describes leaving massive piles of dirt completely uncovered for months at a time?
Long-term exposure.
How does chemical-heavy soil runoff create toxic food chains for wild animals?
Wild animals get sick or die from eating plants and drinking water contaminated by farm chemicals.
What two-word term describes what happens when the most fertile layer of earth washes away, leaving behind completely dead, nutrient-poor soil?
Nutrient depletion.
What management style keeps pastures healthy by moving livestock to different fields on a strict schedule to let grass regrow?
Rotational Grazing.