Soil erosion, caused by rain and wind, reduces agricultural productivity and threatens food security by reducing soil organic matter, nutrients, biota, and depth, ultimately replacing agricultural land with cleared forests.

Ecology of Soil Erosion in Ecosystems

Controlling water erosion is crucial for maintaining land productivity and combating desertification.

Soil erosion: cause and effect

Soil erosion has significant environmental and economic costs, affecting agriculture's sustainability and productivity, and reducing the world's food supply.

Environmental and Economic Costs of Soil Erosion and Conservation Benefits

More research is needed to improve understanding of soil erosion processes and their interactions, scale up processes and rates, and develop innovative techniques to prevent or reduce erosion rates for sustainable soil use in the Anthropocene.

Soil erosion in the Anthropocene: Research needs

Soil erosion significantly impacts the global carbon cycle, and conservation-effective measures can reduce emissions and sequester carbon in soil and biota.

Soil erosion and the global carbon budget.

Soil erosion has significant impacts on global carbon cycle, phosphorus loss, dust emissions, eutrophication, and soil biodiversity, affecting soil quality and biodiversity.

Environmental Consequences of Soil Erosion

Soil erosion is caused by natural processes and anthropogenic factors, leading to loss of biological productivity and ecosystem damage in Mongolia.

Impacts of natural and anthropogenic factors on soil erosion

Soil erosion negatively impacts agronomic productivity and environmental quality, causing pollution, air quality issues, and structural damage.

Soil Erosion Impact on Agronomic Productivity and Environment Quality

Sustainable land management techniques can effectively prevent soil erosion, reducing topsoil loss, ecological degradation, and soil collapse, improving agriculture's sustainability and productivity.

SOIL EROSION - CAUSES, EFFECTS, AND PREVENTION

A sustainability-focused scenario could reduce global soil erosion rates by 10%, while a fossil-fuel intensive scenario could increase rates by 10%.

Insights into the future of soil erosion

Vegetation cover and soil conservation measures significantly reduce soil erosion in China's Loess Plateau, with rainfall erosivity increasing it by -28%.

Effects of vegetation and climate on the changes of soil erosion in the Loess Plateau of China.

Soil erosion reduces cropland available for food production, threatening future food security and environmental quality.

Soil Erosion: A Food and Environmental Threat

Soil erosion can reduce crop productivity, but its effects vary depending on soil characteristics, nutrient status, crops, and climatic conditions.

Effects of soil erosion on crop productivity

Soil erosion significantly reduces soil microbial diversity and functionality, leading to decreased network complexity and increased bacterial families involved in N cycling.

Erosion reduces soil microbial diversity, network complexity and multifunctionality

Accelerated soil erosion, driven by human-induced conversion of natural to agroecosystems, can lead to decomposition and atmospheric CO2 emissions.

Accelerated Soil erosion as a source of atmospheric CO2

Soil erosion is influenced by soil properties, such as physical and chemical characteristics, and can be reduced by implementing conservation measures.

Properties of Soils Which Influence Soil Erosion

This systematic review categorizes soil erosion control practices in Asia into three main themes (agronomic, agrostological, and mechanical) and 11 sub-themes, aiding farmers and policymakers in implementing practical solutions to reduce soil erosion.

A systematic review of soil erosion control practices on the agricultural land in Asia

Land use changes, particularly the expansion of paddy fields, have more significant impacts on soil erosion than soil property changes.

Combined impacts of land use and soil property changes on soil erosion in a mollisol area under long-term agricultural development.

Soil piping is a significant and widespread process, impacting landscape evolution and hillslope hydrology, but more research is needed to better understand its morphology, connectivity, and rates, as well as develop effective prevention and control measures.

Subsurface erosion by soil piping: significance and research needs

Wind erosion and dust emissions in US drylands are driven by disturbances like fire, livestock grazing, and off-highway vehicles, and future climate changes may increase these risks.

Wind erosion and dust from
 US
 drylands: a review of causes, consequences, and solutions in a changing world

What are the causes and consequences of soil erosion?

These studies suggest soil erosion is caused by natural processes and human activities, leading to reduced agricultural productivity, environmental degradation, and significant impacts on the global carbon cycle, while sustainable land management can mitigate these effects.