Water Erosion
This first stage of water erosion happens when a raindrop knocks soil particles loose.
What is splash erosion?
This type occurs when loose, dry soil particles are lifted into the air.
What is wind erosion?
Removing trees for farming, charcoal, or construction accelerates erosion through the loss of this binding structure.
What are plant roots?
Planting trees where land has been stripped helps restore root systems in this mitigation method.
What is afforestation?
A thin, even layer of topsoil is removed during this stage.
What is sheet erosion?
Plucking and abrasion are the two main mechanisms of this cold-region erosion type.
What is glacial erosion?
This farming practice clears a plot, uses it briefly, then abandons it, causing long-term soil fertility loss.
What is shifting cultivation?
This agricultural method plants crops along the natural curves of slopes instead of straight lines.
What is contour ploughing?
This stage forms shallow channels as runoff concentrates downhill.
What is rill erosion?
This type of erosion is common in bare, dry landscapes where fine particles detach easily.
What is wind erosion?
Creating neat rows or ploughing up and down hillsides contributes to this erosion-accelerating problem.
What are downhill channels for runoff?
Lines of trees planted to slow wind erosion are known as these.
What are shelter belts?
This most severe stage creates deep channels that cannot be fixed by normal ploughing.
What is gully erosion?
This happens when a glacier drags embedded rocks, scraping the land beneath.
What is abrasion?
This method of making charcoal by burning large wooded areas removes vegetation that protects soil.
What is slash and burn?
This system combines tree crops like cocoa or coffee with forest vegetation.
What is agroforestry?
This type of water erosion is most commonly triggered by rainfall rather than irrigation or snowmelt.
What is rainwater erosion?
This glacial process involves a glacier pulling rocks straight out of bedrock.
What is plucking?
Cattle feeding on vegetation faster than it can regrow leads to exposed soil in this practice.
What is overgrazing?
Carving a hillside into step-like levels slows runoff and prevents soil loss.
What is terracing?