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Water Erosion

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Soil Conservation and Management

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Abstract

Water erosion is the wearing away of the soil surface by water from rain, runoff, snowmelt, and irrigation. Rainwater is the main driver of water erosion in the form of runoff. Runoff refers to the movement of water on the soil surface by gravity. It carries soil organic and inorganic particles and deposits them at lower landscape positions. The eroded material can either form a new soil or simply fill streams, lakes, and reservoirs. Water erosion occurs in all soils to varying degrees. Slight erosion is actually beneficial to the formation of soil, but severe or accelerated erosion adversely affects soil and environment. Accelerated erosion refers to soil loss above the tolerable soil loss level. Understanding the mechanisms and magnitude of water erosion is vital to managing and developing erosion control practices. The goal of this chapter is to describe the basic principles of water erosion including types, processes, factors, and causes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Humberto Blanco

  2. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Rattan Lal

Authors
  1. Humberto Blanco
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  2. Rattan Lal
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Blanco, H., Lal, R. (2023). Water Erosion. In: Soil Conservation and Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30341-8_2

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