What are some of the concerns regarding the rate and amount of soil loss in the United States. What does a cost benefit analysis of soil loss prevention show?
What will be an ideal response?
Soil erosion is the breakdown, detachment, transport, and redistribution of soil particles by wind, water, and gravity. Soils become prone to erosion for a variety of reasons, including overcultivation and excessive tilling, overgrazing, and the clearing of forests from slopes.
Soil erosion removes topsoil, which is the layer typically richest in organic matter and nutrients. On the extreme end, soil erosion can lead to catastrophic results, such as was seen during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s or, more recently, with desertification.
In the United States, there was a decrease in soil erosion between 1982 and 2007. However, as of 2010, soil erosion rates were reported as being much higher than NRCS estimates.
Soil erosion is estimated to come at an estimated cost of $25 billion/yr in the United States. By contrast, soil erosion can be brought under control for an estimated $8.5 billion.
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Fill in the blank(s) with correct word
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