Global change & terestrial ecosystems
Excerpt
One of the major threats for sustainable land management is soil erosion. It is a very widespread phenomenon, and is usually irreversible. Once the nutrient-rich surface soil has been lost, the ability to sustain plant growth is severely reduced, and increased runnoff from the more impermeable subsoils results in reduced plant-available water. Furthermore, erosion brings various associated “off-site” problems, including reduced water quality from increased sediment loads and poorer air quality due to dust.
It has long been known that both water and wind erosion are commonly accelerated by degrading vegetation cover, presently the main manifestation of global change; given a relatively stable set of conditions many successful strategies have been developed for combatting erosion. Global change will, however, bring added problems, as it encompasses more than just change in land-use; change in atmospheric composition and, more particularly, change in climate will further stress many systems. The severity, frequency, and extent of erosion will certainly be altered by changes in rainfall amount and intensity, and by changes in wind. Global change will thus amplify many current problems, but as certain soil thresholds are exceeded, potentially new and different problems could arise.
It will therefore be crucial to understand …
Footnotes
- Copyright 1996 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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