Soil Erosion and Degradation
Soil erosion removes fertile topsoil by wind and water, often made worse by poor farming and deforestation.
▶ Interact
Play with the controls to see the idea in action.
📘 Learn
Soil erosion removes fertile topsoil by wind and water, often made worse by poor farming and deforestation.
- Contour ploughing reduces erosion
- Cover crops protect soil
- Overgrazing damages land
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Soil Erosion and Degradation?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains Soil Erosion and Degradation. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain Soil Erosion and Degradation in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Soil Erosion and Degradation helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
Soil Erosion and Degradation in detail
Soil erosion is the removal of topsoil by wind and water faster than it forms. It is made worse by deforestation, overgrazing, ploughing on slopes, and leaving soil bare. Soil degradation includes erosion, loss of nutrients and organic matter, compaction, salinisation (from irrigation) and contamination.
Consequences include lower crop yields, silted rivers, flooding, desertification and food insecurity. Soil can take hundreds of years to form but can be lost in a few seasons. Conservation methods include planting cover crops, terracing, contour ploughing, windbreaks (shelter belts), crop rotation, agroforestry, reducing tillage and adding organic matter.
How the interactive helps you understand Soil Erosion and Degradation
Click a step, or use the Previous and Next buttons, to move through the sequence one stage at a time. Auto-play moves on for you.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Soil Erosion and Degradation.
Real-life uses and examples
- Explain how Soil Erosion and Degradation affects the landscape or climate near you.
- Link Soil Erosion and Degradation to a real environmental problem and a possible solution.
- Use a diagram of Soil Erosion and Degradation to describe the steps of a process in order.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Soil Erosion and Degradation
What is Soil Erosion and Degradation?
Soil erosion removes fertile topsoil by wind and water, often made worse by poor farming and deforestation.
What are the most important points about Soil Erosion and Degradation?
The main points are: Contour ploughing reduces erosion; Cover crops protect soil; Overgrazing damages land.
Why is Soil Erosion and Degradation useful?
Understanding Soil Erosion and Degradation helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise Soil Erosion and Degradation?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Soil Erosion and Degradation?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Fishing and Aquaculture, Ecological Footprint, Droughts and Water Scarcity.