Soil erosion by water
The widespread and sometimes devastating effects of soil erosion by water, commonly induced or accelerated by unwise agricultural practices, are well documented. Such erosion, which was a factor in the downfall of some empires (Stallings, 1957; Hudson, 1981), continues to be a serious problem even in technologically advanced parts of the world, and is one of the chief obstacles to agricultural efficiency, and hence to economic progress, in most developing countries. It tends to be a regional rather than a localized problem because accelerated erosion not only denudes the affected areas but produces much detritus deposited by streams at lower levels, where it impairs soil drainage and fertility, infills stream channels and reservoirs, and damages roads, buildings and other structures. This erosion and related damage is enormously expensive (Stallings, 1957; Stall, 1973).
The main agents of soil erosion by water are raindrop splash and runoff moving over the surface...
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Wright, R.L. (1998). SOIL and water management . In: Encyclopedia of Hydrology and Lakes. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht . https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4497-6_209
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4497-6_209
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