Soil Erosion
Geography: Cambridge International GCSE (2027 Exams), topic 10.3.8
Soil Erosion
Soil erosion leaves the land infertile by the surface layer of soil being either washed or blown away.
Causes
- Degrading soil by overusing it, so it becomes useless.
- Not giving the soil enough time to recover between crop cycles.
- Deforestation means that there is no cover or protection for soil.
Consequences of soil erosion
- G = global, L = local.
- Rivers get lots of sediment washed into them.
- This means that the rivers are more likely to flood (L).
- Land isn’t suitable for farming any more (G) (L).
- Farmers are forced to change their culture/traditions to survive (L) (G).
- Dust storms (e.g. America’s dust bowl in the 1930s) (L).
- Soil erosion has similar consequences to desertification (low output, expanding deserts, loss of income for farmers, food scarcity, forced migrations, poverty etc).
Test yourself on Soil Erosion
Which of the statements below is an example of a global consequence of soil erosion?