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The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is a widely used mathematical model that describes soil erosion processes. [1]Erosion models play critical roles in soil and water resource conservation and nonpoint source pollution assessments, including: sediment load assessment and inventory, conservation planning and design for sediment control, and for the advancement of scientific understanding.
Models which consider tillage erosion are rare. Also soil erosion models have been more commonly developed for use on agricultural landscapes, rather than on naturally vegetated areas (such as rangeland or forests). A few erosion models focus on erosion on mined areas. The aim of the majority of soil erosion models is to predict average rates ...
But because of the complexity of soil erosion and its constituent processes, all erosion models can only roughly approximate actual erosion rates when validated i.e. when model predictions are compared with real-world measurements of erosion. [108] [109] Thus new soil erosion models continue to be developed. Some of these remain USLE-based, e.g ...
Soil erosion is the main factor for soil degradation and is due to several mechanisms: water erosion, wind erosion, chemical degradation and physical degradation. Erosion can be influenced by human activity. For example, roads which increase impermeable surfaces lead to streaming and ground loss.
The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model is a physically based erosion simulation model built on the fundamentals of hydrology, plant science, hydraulics, and erosion mechanics. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The model was developed by an interagency team of scientists to replace the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and has been widely used in the ...
Soil washed off fields is the largest source of agricultural pollution in the United States. Excess sediment causes high levels of turbidity in water bodies, which can inhibit growth of aquatic plants, clog fish gills and smother animal larvae. [6] Farmers may utilize erosion controls to reduce runoff flows and retain soil on their fields ...
Roughly a third of all food is lost or wasted from the U.S. food supply each year and, with its big holiday meal as the centerpiece, Thanksgiving can be one of the most wasteful days of the year ...
An example of drastic soil erosion as a result of agriculture. Large scale farming can cause large amounts of soil erosion. 25 to 40 percent of eroded soil ends up in water sources. Soil that carries pesticides and fertilizers pollutes the bodies of water it enters. [56]