Soil Erosion by Wind“Wind also causes much soil erosion. When the wind blows across a bare, dry soil
Soil Erosion by Wind“Wind also causes much soil erosion. When the wind blows across a bare, dry soil, it picks up some particles. The particles are accelerated into the air stream. Some also fall toward the surface, where they strike other particles and aggregates with great force and dislodge more particles into the wind. These are also accelerated. Thus, once soil particles start to move, the process is self-perpetuating. Fine-sand and silty soils low in organic matter are most subject to wind erosion. Coarser sand particles are too heavy to be picked up easily, and finer particles tend to cling together in aggregates, especially is moisture is present. Wind erosion is especially severe during times of drought, when the soil lacks moisture and the vegetative cover is sparse. One of the most spectacular examples of wind erosion occurred in the 1930s in the Great Plains, which became known as the Dust Bowl. Farming had spread to that area during previous wetter periods, and vast areas were plowed up. When the drought hit, vegetation withered, and the soils blew. They covered fences and houses and choked animals and people. Huge clouds of dust were carried all across the continent, to the extent that they blotted out the sun in New York City and Washington D.C.”-Kohnke & Franzmeier, Soil Science Simplified, 4th ed.Please note that the last photo, above, is from 2012. -- source link
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