Often, especially in foreign literature, erosion is understood as any destructive activity of geological forces, such as sea surf, glaciers, gravity; in this case, erosion is synonymous with denudation. For them, however, there are also special terms: abrasion ( wave erosion), exaration ( glacial erosion), gravitational processes, solifluction, etc. The same term (deflation) is used in parallel with the concept wind erosion, but the latter is much more common.

According to the rate of development, erosion is divided into normal And accelerated. Normal always occurs in the presence of any pronounced runoff, occurs more slowly than soil formation and does not lead to noticeable changes in the level and shape of the earth's surface. Accelerated is faster than soil formation, leads to soil degradation and is accompanied by a noticeable change in relief.

For reasons they highlight natural And anthropogenic erosion. It should be noted that anthropogenic erosion is not always accelerated, and vice versa.

Wind erosion (deflation)

This is the destructive effect of the wind: the blowing of sands, forests, plowed soils; the occurrence of dust storms; grinding of rocks, stones, buildings and mechanisms with solid particles carried by the force of the wind. Wind erosion is divided into two types:

• Casual

The beginning of a dust storm is associated with certain wind speeds, however, due to the fact that flying particles cause a chain reaction of new particles breaking off, it ends at significantly lower speeds.

The most severe storms occurred in the USA in the 1930s (“Dust Bowl”) and in the USSR in the 1960s, after the development of virgin lands. Most often, dust storms are associated with irrational human economic activity, namely, massive plowing of land without carrying out soil protection measures.

There are also specific deflationary relief forms, the so-called “ blowing basins": negative shapes, elongated in the direction of the prevailing winds.

Water erosion

Water erosion occurs under the influence of temporary flows of atmospheric water (rainfalls, melt water, etc.).

Drip erosion

Destruction of soil by impacts of raindrops. Structural elements (lumps) of soil are destroyed under the influence of the kinetic energy of raindrops and are scattered to the sides. On slopes, downward movement occurs over a greater distance. When falling, soil particles fall on the film of water, which facilitates their further movement. This type of water erosion is of particular importance in the humid tropics and subtropics

Planar erosion

Planar (surface) erosion is understood as a uniform washout of material from slopes, leading to their flattening. With some degree of abstraction, it is imagined that this process is carried out by a continuous moving layer of water, but in reality it is produced by a network of small temporary water flows.

Surface erosion leads to the formation of washed away and reclaimed soils, and on a larger scale, colluvial deposits.

Linear erosion

Unlike surface erosion, linear erosion occurs in small areas of the surface and leads to the dismemberment of the earth's surface and the formation of various erosion forms (gulleys, ravines, gullies, valleys). This also includes river erosion caused by constant flows of water.

The washed material is usually deposited in the form of alluvial fans and forms proluvial deposits.

Types of linear erosion

• Deep(bottom) - destruction (corrosion) of the bottom of the watercourse bed. Bottom erosion is directed from the mouth upstream and occurs before the bottom reaches the erosion base level.
• Lateral- destruction of banks.

In every permanent and temporary watercourse (river, ravine), both forms of erosion can always be found, but in the first stages of development, deep erosion predominates, and in subsequent stages, lateral erosion.

Mechanism of water erosion

The chemical impact of surface waters, which include river waters, is minimal. The main cause of erosion is the mechanical impact on rocks of water and the fragments it carries of previously destroyed rocks. When there is debris in the water, erosion increases dramatically. The higher the flow speed, the larger the fragments are transported, and the more intense the erosion processes.

The resistance of soil or soil to the action of water flow can be assessed by critical speeds:

For soils and polydisperse soils, the concept of non-erosive velocity has no physical meaning, since even at the lowest velocities the smallest particles are removed. In a turbulent flow, particle separation occurs at maximum pulsation velocities, so an increase in the amplitude of flow velocity fluctuations causes a decrease in the critical velocities for a given soil.

Erosion of technogenic origin

The decisive factor in stabilizing soils and protecting soils from all types of erosion is vegetation cover. Trees and shrubs, grass with a developed root system effectively reduce the speed of surface air flows in the wind, ensure the absorption of the energy of falling drops during rain and the dissipation of water flows on the surface.

Therefore, with anthropogenic impacts associated with soil exposure, for example, ground work during construction, quarrying, construction of sludge storage facilities, etc., there is a danger of a sharp increase in the volume of soil loss with erosion. For example, when constructing an arable field on heavy loamy sandy soil with a slope steepness of 10°, the erosion rate increases by 50-250 times (compared to grass cover), and 7000-35000 times (compared to a forested area). In the absence of anti-erosion measures, soil loss can be 1-10 cm per year. Forms of water erosion (drip, surface and linear) differ in the impact of soil loss. On the test slope (sandy soil, slope 11°), soil loss was distributed in the proportion 1:20:950. As the percentage of silt particles increases, the tendency to erosion increases.

Soil erosion is a significant risk factor in the implementation of infrastructure, construction and agricultural projects, therefore, after ground work, it is recommended to immediately apply grass seeding (“grassing”) to restore the damaged surface and strengthen the slopes. To ensure sufficient protection of the soil during the period between grass sowing and obtaining a stable vegetation cover, a protective coating is often applied along with sowing: manually - biomats, mechanically -

The section is very easy to use. Just enter the desired word in the field provided, and we will give you a list of its meanings. I would like to note that our site provides data from various sources - encyclopedic, explanatory, word-formation dictionaries. Here you can also see examples of the use of the word you entered.

Meaning of the word erosion

erosion in the crossword dictionary

erosion

Dictionary of medical terms

erosion (erosio; Latin "corrosion")

superficial defect of the mucous membrane or epidermis.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov

erosion

erosion, plural no, w. (from Latin erodere - to corrode).

Erosion, destruction (of the earth's crust) by flowing waters and ice (geol.).

Ulceration of the surface of the mucous membrane (med.).

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I.Ozhegov, N.Yu.Shvedova.

erosion

And, well. (specialist.). Complete or partial destruction, damage to the surface of something. Protection of coastlines from wind and water erosion, soil erosion. E. metals. Inflammatory e. (mucous membrane, skin surface).

adj. erosive, -aya, -oe and erosion, -aya, -oe. Erosion process. Erosion depression (formed as a result of erosion).

New explanatory and word-formative dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

erosion

and. Destruction of rocks by flowing waters and ice (in geology).

and. Destruction of the metal surface by mechanical influences - impacts, friction, etc. - or electrical discharges (in technology).

and. Formation of ulcers on the surface of the epithelium (in medicine).

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

erosion

EROSION (from Latin erosio - erosion) (in geology) the process of destruction of rocks and soils by a water flow. There are superficial (smoothing of relief unevenness), linear (dismemberment of the relief), lateral (undermining of river banks) and deep (cutting the stream bed into depth) erosion.

Erosion (geology)

Erosion- destruction of rocks and soils by surface water flows and wind, including the separation and removal of fragments of material and accompanied by their deposition.

Soil erosion- soil destruction.

Often, especially in foreign literature, erosion is understood as any destructive activity of geological forces, such as sea surf, glaciers, gravity; in this case, erosion is synonymous with denudation. For them, however, there are also special terms: abrasion ( wave erosion), exaration ( glacial erosion), gravitational processes, solifluction The same term is used in parallel with the concept wind erosion, but the latter is much more common.

According to the rate of development, erosion is divided into normal And accelerated. Normal always occurs in the presence of any pronounced runoff, occurs more slowly than soil formation and does not lead to noticeable changes in the level and shape of the earth's surface. Accelerated is faster than soil formation, leads to soil degradation and is accompanied by a noticeable change in topography.

For reasons they highlight natural And anthropogenic erosion. It should be noted that anthropogenic erosion is not always accelerated, and vice versa.

Erosion

Erosion :

• Erosion in geology is the destruction of rocks by wind, flowing water and ice.
• Erosion in technology is the destruction of a metal surface by mechanical influences - impacts, friction, etc. - or electrical discharges.
• Erosion in medicine is a superficial defect of the epithelium.
• Erosion in image processing is a method of filtering binary images, in which the size of all domains is reduced.

Erosion (medicine)

Erosion- a superficial defect of the epithelium that does not affect the basement membrane and underlying layers, healing, unlike an ulcer, without scar formation. The causes of erosion can be [mechanical effects (skin abrasions), dystrophic and inflammatory processes in the mucous membrane (for example, gastric erosion), irritating effects of pathological secretions (cervical erosion), etc.

Examples of the use of the word erosion in literature.

Rhine - poet erosion, disintegration - human relations, moral categories, historical connections and dependencies, any binomial, including nuclear - and his poem, like a spinning black plastic, is the only form of mutation available to this author, as evidenced primarily by his assonant rhymes.

With yeast balanitis and balanoposthitis, there is maceration of limited areas of the glans penis and the inner layer of the foreskin, grayish-white layers and formation erosions.

Such interdigital yeast erosion are found among housewives who deal with vegetables and fruits, among workers in confectionery production, and fruit and vegetable stores.

Disease of the duodenum, the main manifestation of which is changes in the mucous membrane in the form of inflammation, atrophy, erosions.

For infectious diseases, bacteriological cultures are used, the material for which is scales, hair, nails, the contents of pustules and cystic elements, discharge erosions and ulcers, the blood of the patient.

The hilly land stretching for miles, once covered with forests, was now bare and disfigured with countless wrinkles - the first signs of erosion, defertilization of the soil.

Subsequently, the patches of plaque merge and after their removal, a bright red swollen or bleeding mucous membrane is exposed erosion.

The plowing of vast tracts of land is accompanied by erosion, dispersing the soil.

Suppression or improper treatment of gonorrhea in the patient or his parents is the basis for the occurrence of lumbosacral radiculitis, arthritis, rheumatism, erosion cartilage and other bone and limb diseases: restless legs, dropsy of the extremities, cramps in the ankles and feet, swelling and painful stiffness of the ankles.

Erosion, associated with shear cultivation, exposed more than 27,000 square meters.

If there is desquamation of the epithelium as a result of increased secretion of the uterus, such erosion called true.

Recognition is carried out on the basis of X-ray data erosions articular surfaces, determination of rheumatoid factor in blood serum and synovial fluid.

With true erosion-- use of tampons with antibiotic emulsions based on fish oil and petroleum jelly.

It is therefore not surprising that man began early to think about the origin of this majestic and beautiful gorge, that primitive religion and science alike attributed its origin to some great cataclysm in ancient times, to some sudden and terrible eruption of volcanic forces, and not to the real cause - slowly, over centuries, occurring under the influence of water erosion breeds

Erosion and weathering were not traces of war, they were formed from the influence of the desert itself.

Although all women are afraid of the appearance of such a pathology as cervical erosion, it is one of the benign processes in the female body. Its location is the mucous membrane of the cervix, on which a round formation up to two centimeters in diameter is formed. There are several types of erosion, and each of them has its own characteristics. So, they distinguish between congenital, pseudo-erosion and true. We will talk in more detail about cervical erosion, types, causes, symptoms further.

General information

First of all, it should be noted that cervical erosion is one of the most common diseases that bother women. There is no need to be too afraid of erosion, since, as already mentioned, this is a benign process that only in extreme cases has serious consequences.

A little earlier in the article it was said that erosion has several varieties, the features of which should be discussed and considered in more detail.

Congenital erosion

With congenital erosion, the cervical columnar epithelium is displaced, and as a result, a chronic disease of this type occurs. The main feature is that such erosion has practically no symptoms and appears more often in childhood or adolescence. This disease can only be detected by examination by a gynecologist. Congenital erosion is interesting because it does not require treatment, since the possibility of it developing into a malignant tumor is almost completely excluded.

True erosion

True erosion, unlike its other types, chooses the pharynx as its localization, or rather, its outer or back side. It is much less common to find such erosion on the lip of the cervix. As for its appearance, it is not a very large area, has a round shape and a bright red tint, sometimes it can even bleed. if erosion appears, then this is a clear sign that the mucous membrane has been damaged. In the case of true erosion, purulent accumulations may form on it. This type of erosion lasts only fourteen days, after which the area is covered with epithelium. And then comes the next stage, which is called pseudo-erosion.

Pseudo-erosion

Pseudo-erosion is a type in which an area appears painted bright red. It is impossible to accurately describe its shape, since each woman has her own, as well as sizes. Pseudo-erosion can have a diameter of several millimeters, or can reach two to three centimeters. Sometimes a slight mucous discharge forms on the surface of the wound, which may contain pus. The duration of the disease cannot be determined, since much depends on what caused the wound and what methods of control were taken. Its main danger is that a relapse may occur, and a harmless wound will develop into a cancerous tumor. The doctor must take this fact into account when prescribing treatment.

Causes of erosion

There are a number of reasons why the disease can occur, and each of them is special in its own way. Let's figure out what they are (the treatment of this disease directly depends on the provoking factors):

• The main reason is mechanical injuries. They can occur during sexual intercourse if the man is too rough and not careful, due to abortions that are performed by curettage, and erosion can also occur directly during childbirth.
• Some sexually transmitted infections can cause a sore to appear on the cervix. Among these diseases are genital herpes and papilloma virus.
• If a woman knows that there is an infection in her genital tract and does not react to it, then most likely she will soon develop erosion.
• If sexual activity was started too early or too late, then this is also a serious reason for the cervix to become damaged. Everything must happen in due time.
• Erosion also occurs in girls who change sexual partners too often or, conversely, are content with too infrequent sexual intercourse.
• Even a banal menstrual cycle disorder can lead to damage to the cervix.
• A sharp decrease in immunity is another reason for erosion to appear.
• It is especially dangerous if a woman has a combination of several of the above reasons. In this case, it is almost impossible to avoid the appearance of a wound on the cervix.

Erosion is quite rare in patients who are at retirement age, but if this happens, the cause may be the pressure of the uterine ring. There is one more type that is worth mentioning - physiological erosion. They occur in girls who have not yet reached the age of 25, and tend to heal on their own.

Symptoms

In addition to the reasons why cervical erosion appears, every woman should know its symptoms in order to seek help from her gynecologist in time.

In almost one hundred percent of cases, erosion does not manifest itself in any way. There are no specific symptoms in the world that would unmistakably indicate that a woman has erosion. Therefore, most often, this disease is detected only during a routine examination by a gynecologist. However, in medical practice, symptoms have still been established that clearly indicate that the cervix is ​​damaged:

• Women experience spotting, which can in no way be related to the menstrual cycle. Especially often, such discharge appears after sexual intercourse.
• Many women who have been diagnosed with erosion experience pain during sex.
• It is even possible that purulent discharge may appear. This is already clear evidence that erosion has also been accompanied by an inflammatory infection, which significantly aggravates the situation. Some patients may confuse such discharge with thrush or the onset of menstruation.

So, most practicing gynecologists include discharge and pain, especially those that occur during or after sexual intercourse, as signs of cervical erosion.

Diagnostics

An experienced gynecologist will be able to indicate the presence of erosion after the first examination of the patient, but a number of tests are required to accurately establish the diagnosis and begin the treatment process:

• First of all, the doctor is obliged to take a smear from the woman for flora. This procedure is standard when visiting a gynecologist.
• Next, an extended colposcopy is performed.
• The doctor may also prescribe various cytological studies.
• A PCR diagnosis is carried out, which is necessary in order to exclude the presence of any sexually transmitted disease.
• A woman takes a blood test to determine whether she has HIV, syphilis or hepatitis.
• Bacteriological culture is required.
• If the doctor has doubts about the benign nature of the tumor, he may also order a biopsy. Such an analysis is not prescribed to all patients, but only in cases of extreme necessity and at the discretion of the attending physician.

From this we see that the causes of cervical erosion and the treatment of the disease can be accurately determined only after all the necessary tests have been carried out.

Treatment

We have already found out the causes and symptoms of cervical erosion, but treatment requires a separate paragraph in the article, since it is not a common type of disease for all. Therapy is prescribed depending on what type of erosion the woman has, what its size is, and whether there are concomitant infectious diseases.

So, you just need to constantly monitor congenital erosion, since in most cases it heals on its own. As for treatment, surgical intervention is possible, but doctors are trying to use more conservative methods. Everything depends solely on the characteristics of the disease.

Perhaps the phrase “conservative treatment” is incomprehensible to some. This means that first of all, the doctor does not fight the erosion itself, but the reason why it appeared. Therefore, in this case, the main task is to determine what disease accompanied the appearance of the wounds. After an accurate diagnosis, the gynecologist prescribes therapy. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are most often used. Immunomodulators and anti-inflammatory drugs are used as excipients.

Local treatment of the cervix may also be performed during the examination. To do this, special drugs are used that lead to coagulation of the area that was damaged. But such a procedure can only be carried out if the erosion is a benign formation. This method is well suited for girls who do not yet have children. Such drugs do not leave scars on the cervix, which means there is a possibility that during childbirth there will be no ruptures of the mucous membrane, and erosion will not occur again. This is perhaps the main advantage of the method. But it also has one drawback - not a single patient can be protected from relapse.

If this method does not show results, then surgical intervention is prescribed. This is not an operation, but simply cauterization of the wound. There are several ways to do it:

• Electrosurgery.
• Laser destruction.
• Thermocoagulation.
• Cryosurgery.
• Radiosurgery.

Let's take a closer look at the types of cauterization of cervical erosion for women who have not given birth and who already have children.

Cryodestruction

This method is one of the most gentle, since it uses liquid nitrogen, which seems to freeze the wound and does not affect healthy tissue. In addition to the effectiveness and safety of this method, it is also worth mentioning that the patient feels almost nothing during the procedure. And here there is completely no risk that a scar will form on the cervical canal. It will take approximately four weeks for the cervix to heal completely. Irregular watery discharge is a side effect. During the healing period, doctors recommend refraining from strenuous physical activity and sexual intercourse.

Laser treatment

Laser cauterization is one of the relatively new cervical erosions. It is good because it is carried out contactlessly. The laser is simply aimed at the wound and it heals over a certain period of time. There is no effect on healthy tissue, which is another definite plus. Laser treatment is especially often prescribed to girls who have not given birth. Because it leaves no traces behind.

Treatment with radio waves

Radio waves are a type of cauterization of cervical erosion that has appeared quite a long time ago. It is practically painless, which was achieved due to the fact that radio waves seem to “seal” the nerve endings that are located in the wound and around it. During this procedure, all healthy tissue remains intact. It is even possible to use it in young girls who do not yet have children. The procedure is also good because after it the woman has practically no restrictions and there are no scars.

ethnoscience

We looked at the types of surgical removal of cervical erosion, but we must not forget about folk recipes.

There is probably no disease that traditional medicine cannot cure. Even for the treatment of cervical erosion, there are several useful recipes here. However, doctors do not trust such methods of treatment, since they rarely bring truly positive results. Traditional recipes can be used to stop the growth of a wound or to prevent inflammatory processes from appearing.

The most common recipe among the people is tampons soaked in sea buckthorn oil. Grandma’s recipes also recommend douching using a calendula solution. Of course, these substances have anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties, however, if you use only these recipes, it is unlikely that you will be completely cured. In general, folk recipes can be used only after prior consultation with a specialist. Because you can not only not help, but also harm yourself even more.

Prevention

There is a whole set of rules for the prevention of all types of cervical erosions, which not only every woman, but also her partner should be familiar with:

1. It is necessary to observe the rules of personal hygiene, and this applies not only to the female, but also to the male half.
2. If a woman comes into contact with a new sexual partner, then she simply must insist that he use a condom.
3. If a girl does not have a permanent partner, and men often change, then this can lead to the microflora of her vagina changing, and this will lead to the development of various infections, which can then cause the formation of erosion.
4. It is necessary to visit a gynecologist regularly, or rather once every six months, in order to detect the disease in time and begin its treatment.
5. If you notice any changes, consult a doctor immediately, since even the slightest discomfort during sexual intercourse or just like that can signal the development of some disease.

So, if you follow these simple rules, you will be able to avoid the appearance of any type of cervical erosion. But we should not forget that no woman is immune from this problem, so you cannot be one hundred percent sure of your safety. Your main responsibility is to visit a specialist who can warn you about the problem in time and get rid of it. And remember, there is nothing wrong with this. After all, a large number of women are afraid of such diseases and do not go to the doctor, which they later greatly regret.

The destructive effect of water, wind and anthropogenic factors on the soil and underlying rocks, the removal of the most fertile upper layer or erosion is called erosion. Erosion causes great harm.

As a result of its activity, the humus horizon is washed away, the reserves of energy and nutrients in the soil are depleted, and, consequently, the energy potential decreases and fertility decreases. Suffice it to say that every centimeter of soil washed away is a loss of about 167472 * 10 6 J of energy from 1 hectare of field. These factors lead to disruption of the stability of the ecosystem, and these changes can be profound and even irreversible.

Types of erosion. Based on the rate of manifestation of erosion processes, a distinction is made between normal, or geological, and accelerated, or anthropogenic, erosion.

Normal erosion flows everywhere under forest and grassy vegetation. It manifests itself to a very weak extent; the soil is completely restored within a year thanks to soil-forming processes.

Accelerated erosion develops where natural vegetation is destroyed and the territory is used without taking into account its natural features, as a result of which the process of soil erosion is not covered by the processes of its self-healing. There are ancient and modern soil erosion. The ancient one is represented by a hydrographic network (hollow, ravine, ravine, valley). The ancient erosion has ceased to operate. Modern erosion occurs against the backdrop of ancient erosion; it is caused by both natural factors and human economic activity.

The most common types of soil erosion are: water planar (washout) and linear or vertical (washout);

wind (deflation); irrigation; industrial (technogenic); abrasion (collapse of the banks of reservoirs); grazing (soil destruction by livestock); mechanical (soil destruction by agricultural machinery).

Planar erosion - This is the washing away of the upper soil horizons on slopes when rain or melt water flows down them in a continuous stream or streams. Based on the degree of erosion, soils are classified into weakly, moderately and strongly washed away. Slightly washed away soils include soils in which the upper horizon A has been washed away to half its thickness, moderately washed away - horizon A has been washed away by more than half, heavily washed away - horizon B has been partially washed away. On slightly washed away soils, the grain yield is reduced to 25%, on moderately washed away soils - by 50%, and on heavily washed away soils. - by 70%.

Linear erosion caused by melt and rainwater flowing down in a significant mass, concentrated within the narrow confines of a slope area. As a result, the soil is eroded into depth, deep gullies and potholes are formed, which gradually develop into ravines. Depending on soil and climatic conditions, the growth and formation of a ravine occurs at a rate of 1-3 to 8-25 m per year.

Planar erosion is especially dangerous, giving impetus to the development of ravines, primarily because its manifestation is barely noticeable. If a layer of soil with a thickness of only 1 mm per year is washed away from an arable land of 1 hectare, i.e. approximately 10 tons, this goes unnoticed, although in many cases the natural regeneration of the soil is much lower. Another example is even more clear. If a ravine 100 m long, 5 m wide and 2 m deep has formed on a field of 100 hectares, then the loss of soil and subsoil is 600-800 m 3. The losses from washing away the most fertile top layer 1 cm thick from the same area (100 hectares) are equivalent to the loss of approximately 10,000 m 3 of soil. To more clearly imagine the magnitude of the damage, it should be borne in mind that the permissible level of erosion for thick chernozems is 3 t/ha, for ordinary and southern soils - 2.5, for dark chestnut soils - 2 t/ha. However, actual soil losses often exceed the specified limits of its natural recovery.

With the increase in arable land, the fight against this phenomenon is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, constant attention should be paid to the widespread protection of forests and all vegetation cover, especially in mountainous and hilly areas, and their proper operation.

Wind erosion, or deflation, observed on both light and heavy carbonate soils at high wind speeds, low soil moisture and low relative air humidity. Therefore, it predominantly occurs in the arid steppe regions of the country. Plowing light soils and loosening them is especially dangerous in the spring, when they are deprived of a protective green cover, which makes them vulnerable to deflation. Wind erosion manifests itself as daily or local deflation and as dust or black storms.

Dust storms, like winter snowstorms, scatter the loose layer, lift light and small particles and transport them to one or another distance. The lightest soil particles rise high into the air and are carried far beyond their location, while the heavier ones move spasmodically or waddle to the first obstacle. The greatest danger is caused by jumping soil particles. When they hit the soil, they destroy it, increase blowing, and when they encounter fragile crops or perennial grasses, they mark and cover them. In large open spaces, jumping soil particles, like a chain physico-chemical reaction as the hurricane moves forward, cause more and more destruction in the soil. Dust storms along their path partially or completely destroy crops over large areas, fill up roads, irrigation canals, various buildings, and irrevocably demolish the top, most fertile layer of soil. Dust storms, polluting the environment, water, air, negatively affect the health of humans, domestic and wild animals.

Wind erosion due to deforestation and plowing of new lands covers all new areas up to the forest-steppe and even taiga ^Ulyanovsk region, Kazan Trans-Volga region, Lena River basin.

Irrigation erosion often observed in areas of irrigated agriculture; in the zone of its activity, permanent and temporary reclamation networks are disabled. The main reasons for its erosion are weak fixation of the bottom and slopes of canals, an insufficient number of connecting structures when reinforcing them, an increase in slopes, weak infiltration capacity of the soil, subsidence of soil leading to disruption of the normal profile of canals, their clogging, increased water consumption in irrigation furrows or strips. When operating irrigation systems in certain areas, up to 20-45% of water is lost for various reasons due to filtration and leakage, which also contributes to soil erosion. Irrigation erosion manifests itself even in conditions of small slopes with increasing irrigation flow. Irrigation without taking into account irrigation norms and weather conditions of the growing season leads to the accumulation of salts in the topsoil, which sometimes not only reduces soil fertility, but also completely removes such areas from agricultural use.

Industrial erosion arises as a result of mining, especially open-pit mining, construction of residential and industrial buildings, laying highways, gas and oil pipelines.

With erosion, called abrasion(collapse of river banks and other bodies of water), the area of ​​arable land and pastures is reduced, and water bodies become silted.

Due to the overload of pastures with livestock, significant areas are exposed to pasture (trail) erosion. It manifests itself when grazing norms are violated, it is carried out without taking into account the number of livestock, the capacity of pastures and meadows, when cattle are driven through the same areas, without watering the pasture areas with sprinkling in hot weather.

Erosion is the enemy of fertility. It is estimated that every minute on the globe 44 hectares of land go out of agricultural use. Every day, more than 3 thousand hectares are irretrievably lost from erosion, and in total more than 50 million hectares of fertile land have already been lost. As a result of soil washout, erosion and blowing away, the yield of all agricultural crops is reduced on average by 20-40%. However, the damage caused by erosion does not end there. The formation of gullies, hollows and ravines on the soil surface makes it difficult to cultivate the land and reduces the productivity of tillage and harvesting equipment. Soil erosion, and consequently the destruction of the habitats of plants and animals in biogeocenoses, leads to a disruption of the existing biological balance in natural complexes.

It should be noted, however, that accelerated erosion is not an inevitable process. A high level of agricultural technology ensures timely implementation of comprehensive erosion protection.

Factors of manifestation of erosion processes

relief. Alternation of flat plains and hills as a result of glacial activity.

Novogrudok – 330m, Minsk – 350 m, Grodno region. 200-250m climate

. 3 climatic zones (northern, central and southern)

Soil cover and parent rocks

(flat on loams, wind on peatlands) Northern and Central parts - water erosion, Southern - wind erosion

vegetation,

The washout and erosion of lands lead to siltation of water bodies, shallowing of rivers, and clogging of the irrigation network. Fishing, transport, and energy sectors also suffer losses. Damage in agriculture from drought, plant and animal diseases, etc. significantly less than from soil erosion.

The fight against this phenomenon is one of the leading links in a high culture of agriculture. For each natural zone, in accordance with its physical and geographical conditions (soil, climate, topography), farming systems have been developed. The success of erosion control depends largely on compliance with the basic agricultural practices applied in a particular area and on the nature of the land use.

In areas where wind erosion is widespread, soil-protective crop rotations with strip placement of crops and fallows, wings, grassing of heavily eroded lands, buffer strips of perennial grasses, fertilization, snow retention, consolidation and afforestation of sand and other lands unsuitable for agricultural use, regulation of livestock grazing, cultivation of field protection are necessary. forest belts, as well as

non-moldboard tillage leaving stubble on its surface.

In areas where water erosion develops, tillage and sowing of agricultural crops should be carried out across the slope, using contour and ridge plowing, deepening the topsoil, slitting and other methods of treatment that reduce surface water runoff; Soil-protective crop rotations, strip placement of agricultural crops, grassing of steep slopes, fertilization, cultivation of field-protective and anti-erosion forest strips, afforestation of ravines, gullies, sands, banks of rivers and reservoirs, construction of anti-erosion hydraulic structures (differences, ponds, terracing, embankment of the tops of ravines and etc.).

In mountainous areas, anti-mudflow structures, terracing, afforestation and grassing of slopes and alluvial fans, regulation of livestock grazing, and conservation of mountain forests are necessary.

All of the listed activities are usually divided into groups: organizational and economic, agrotechnical, forest reclamation and hydraulic engineering.

For the practical implementation of anti-erosion work, a number of organizational and economic measures are first required. These include proper organization of the territory. On collective farms and state farms, areas are identified that are subject to varying degrees of water and wind erosion, soil erosion plans are drawn up, on which categories of lands subject to water and wind erosion are applied for the differentiated application of anti-erosion measures.

In the United States, in the fight against water erosion, soil cultivation along horizontal lines or contour farming is widely and successfully used, which has increased the productivity of leading crops - corn, cotton, potatoes, etc. Contour farming on slopes of slight steepness ensures the conservation of moisture, the protection of soil from washout, and increased her fertility. In this case, some deviation from the horizontal lines is allowed in case of their strong tortuosity.

The retention of precipitation and the transfer of surface runoff into intrasoil flow is facilitated by the deepening of the arable layer. As a result of this technique, surface runoff in our country was reduced by approximately 25%, which reduced the destructive effect of melt and rainwater.

Vegetation cover plays a particularly important role in protecting the soil from both slope runoff and rainfall.

The high density of vegetation also ensures uniform distribution of snow on the fields. The root system of plants determines erosion resistance and soil structuring. Dead parts of plants and their litter also help reduce runoff and, in addition, improve the vital activity of microflora and mesofauna, and enhance the biological activity of the soil.

Perennial legume-grass grass mixtures stabilize the soil most reliably. They improve the physical properties of the soil and also enrich it with nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium. Nodule bacteria that develop on the roots of leguminous grasses increase the nitrogen content in the soil by fixing it from the air. At the same time, the importance of annual crops in the fight against erosion cannot be denied, although they are less resistant to it and have less ability to restore the fertility of eroded lands.

All crops can be divided into three groups according to their anti-erosion properties. The first group, which best protects the soil from erosion, includes perennial ladders, the second group includes annual crops, which are significantly inferior to them in this regard. Row crops have the weakest protective effect, and in certain cases, if they are placed along a slope, they can contribute to increased runoff and thereby erosion.

It is generally accepted that, compared with soil washout under perennial grasses, soil washout under grain crops is 4-5 times higher, and under row crops – 25 times higher. Of the annual crops, winter crops protect the soil relatively well, since in spring and autumn they form erosion-resistant vegetation cover. However, row crops in the second half of summer and early autumn provide high projective cover and at this time reliably protect the soil from erosion. On slopes, it is effective to create buffer strips across the slope from the same crop, but with an increased dose of fertilizers and an increased seeding rate, control snowmelt by strip compaction, etc.

Anti-erosion methods also include other methods: non-moldboard tillage with preservation of stubble, embankment and furrowing of plowed land, mole cutting, slicing, mulching with straw at the rate of 1-2 t/ha. For every ton of straw, 10 kg of nitrogen should be applied. Mulching the soil on slopes with substandard straw at a dose of 1-3 t/ha reduces erosion by 3-5 times. Mulch also reduces the depth of soil freezing, which means it promotes early spring runoff absorption, reduced runoff, and increased crop yields.

On erodible soils, the creation of a wind-resistant surface layer is important. For this purpose, special stubble seeders are used, and strip placement of crops and grasses is used.

The use of anti-erosion tools ensures the preservation of stubble on the soil surface, helps retain snow in the fields, improves the soil structure and sharply reduces wind erosion. Blow-resistant soil has 60% particles larger than 1 mm in the top 5 cm layer and persists even at a wind speed of 12.5 m/s at a height of 0.5 m.

On soils subject to deflation (blowing), soil-protective crop rotations with sowing buffer strips of perennial grasses have especially proven their worth. On sandy soils, the area under perennial grasses should be increased to 50%. On less deflated soils, it is advisable to occupy 30% of the arable land with them.

Creating curtains from tall plants (sunflower, corn) improves snow distribution in the fields, reduces the erosive energy of individual streams of water, i.e. reduces soil erosion in general.

In winter, to reduce erosion processes, it is necessary to create snow banks across the slope.

It should also be noted that the application of fertilizers on erodible lands is more effective, since as a result of the application of the entire complex of anti-erosion measures, the loss of soil, and therefore the nutrients added to it, is sharply reduced.

In the fight against water and irrigation erosion, slotting is effective, helping to increase the water permeability of heavy soils. Another way is to use sprinklers with low and medium rain intensity (up to 0.3 mm/min). This makes it possible to increase the irrigation rate to 700-800 m 3 of water per 1 hectare without the formation of surface runoff, save water, avoid salinization and decrease in soil fertility.

Forest reclamation is also an important part of the anti-erosion complex.

PROTECTION OF SOILS FROM SALINIZATION, ACIDIFICATION AND WATERLOGING

These processes contribute to a sharp disruption of the normal functioning of the soil-plant system.

Soil salinization - accumulation of soluble salts and exchangeable sodium in concentrations unacceptable for normal growth and development of plants. Among saline soils, there are solonchak soils with a high concentration of soluble salts; saline, containing more than 5-10% of exchangeable sodium; salt marshes and salt licks. Even with weak salinity, the yield of corn, for example, decreases by 40-50%, wheat - by 50-60%.

Every year around the globe, due to salinization, 200-300 thousand hectares of irrigated land go out of circulation. Saline lands need to be washed with fresh water, but this raises another problem - the discharge of saline rinsing waters, which form huge salty swamps. The discharged waters are saturated with fertilizers, pesticides and defoliants that are toxic to humans and animals.

One of the salinity factors is wind. It captures salty dust and transports it long distances into the interior of the continents. A similar phenomenon is observed in the Aral Sea region, where the wind intensifies the removal of salts and dust from the dried seabed and their transfer to the region.

Soil salinization is possible due to improper agricultural practices, turning saline layers to the surface, and excessive livestock load on pastures. The cause of soil salinization may be the irrigation water itself if it contains elevated concentrations of soluble salts.

There have been cases of accumulation of easily soluble salts (up to 500 kg per 1 ha) under the influence of halophytic vegetation.

Most often, salinization occurs due to the enrichment of the soil with salts contained in groundwater. Simultaneously with the increase in their level, moisture rises through the capillaries into the rhizosphere zone, where salts accumulate as the water in it evaporates. The drier the climate and the heavier the soil in granulometric composition, the more pronounced this process is, the more pronounced the toxicity of salts to plants. An increased content of salts in the soil causes an increase in the osmotic pressure of the soil solution, which complicates the water supply of plants, they are chronically starved, and their growth is weakened. This primarily affects the root system, which loses turgor and dies. Sodium carbonate is especially dangerous for plants. If the soil contains 10-15% of the exchangeable sodium absorption capacity, the state of the plants is depressed; when its content is within 20-35%, the inhibition is very strong.

With increased irrigation rates and losses of irrigation water from canals, the groundwater level also increases. The process when salt accumulation in the soil occurs as a result of disruption of the irrigation regime and water filtration in irrigation canals is called secondary salinization.

As a preventive measure to combat secondary salinization, it is necessary to drain the area using pottery, plastic and other pipes laid to a depth of 1.0-1.8 m with a distance between drains of 5 to 15 m. Irrigation by sprinklers with low to medium rainfall intensity (up to 0.3 mm/min) is also safe in this regard. Subsoil, drip, fine and pulse irrigation are promising. The common advantage of these methods is water saving. Thus, with subsurface irrigation, the irrigation rate can be reduced to 100-300 m 3 /ha. The water flow rate for pulse sprinkling is only 0.01 mm/min. Due to low irrigation rates, the likelihood of salinization and waterlogging decreases. An important advantage of new irrigation methods is the reduction of evaporation from the soil surface, and, in the case of fine irrigation, transpiration. With drip irrigation, water in the form of a drop is supplied directly to the roots. The use of these irrigation methods prevents irrigation erosion, so they can be used on slopes.

The creation of forest belts along canals also ensures a constant groundwater level, as trees intercept and transpire filtered water, acting as biological drainage. To remove salts from the soil, flushing with fresh water is used.

With an increase in soil acidity (pH below 7), its productivity also decreases: the concentration of mobile aluminum increases and at the same time the nutrient content decreases. Acidification depends on the absorption capacity, particle size distribution, water permeability, biological activity of the soil and the humus content in it. Physiologically acidic nitrogen fertilizers increase soil acidity. Therefore, liming and the application of fertilizers rich in calcium are recommended on such lands. Without the use of lime, the effectiveness of fertilizers decreases.

Waterlogging of the soil, leading to waterlogging, is widespread in a number of areas of the Non-Chernozem Zone, and is also observed in other areas near canals, reservoirs and undamped artesian wells. About 8% of the world's land is subject to waterlogging and flooding.

To drain wetlands, slot drains are installed, cut into the ground. On heavy soils, drains are created using mole plows. In the Far East, complex drainage is used, which is a combination of tubular drains with a network of molehills. Other preventive measures are effective: the optimal method of watering and strict adherence to the irrigation regime for crops. Closed drainage has an advantage over an open drainage network, since in this case the usable area is not lost.

However, drainage should be carried out within reasonable limits. A decrease in the groundwater level when draining swamps more than 1.5 m from the soil surface contributes to the rapid oxidation of peat and the removal of nutrients into drainage ditches. With a further decrease in their level, the root horizon becomes detached from the capillary fringe, which leads to the death of forests.

The development of new lands must be carried out taking into account nature protection. Sometimes there is still an opinion that swamps cause great harm, so they need to be drained. However, it should be remembered that swamps perform an important water management function, feeding rivers and groundwater, and purifying polluted atmospheric precipitation.

Reclamation of wetlands must be carried out taking into account the protection of natural resources from depletion and undesirable impacts on the nature of the Non-Black Earth Zone. In this regard, great attention should be paid to environmental control and broad discussion of projects.

Soil is the surface layer of land, consisting of successively located layers (horizons) formed as a result of the transformation of rocks under the influence of a number of factors, namely: flora and fauna, microorganisms, topography, climate and, of course, time. There is also such a thing as “soil erosion”. We invite you to get to know him in more detail.

Fertility is a unique property of soil

This natural body has such a valuable quality as fertility (the ability to ensure the growth and formation of plants), which depends on the supply of nutrients and water. It is this unique property of the soil that has been successfully used by humans for tens of thousands of years, and increasingly to the detriment of both interacting parties. Careless and irresponsible activities cause erosion.

The concept of "erosion"

What is erosion? Translated from Latin, this word means “to corrode”, “to gnaw out”.

Erosion (photos of some of the consequences of which are presented in our article) is the destruction of the surface soil layer. Of course, this process is natural, but 60-80% of it is provoked and accelerated by the human factor. Erosion is a terrible phenomenon in which entire regions adapted for agriculture can be lost. Therefore, its prevention is one of the most important tasks facing modern humanity.

Types of anthropogenic erosion

Erosion, the causes of which are mostly caused by human activity, is called anthropogenic and includes the following types of soil destruction:

• Mechanical. It consists of depletion of the fertile layer as a result of repeated mechanical tillage of the soil (ploughing, harrowing, cultivation).
• Building. Disturbance of the grass cover occurs as a result of construction work, including the preparation of construction sites and mechanical impact on the soil cover using specialized equipment.
• Transport. In this case, the surface layer is constantly exposed to vehicles.
• Pasture. Massive grazing by livestock causes weakening of the grass cover due to its trampling and eating; the grass is destroyed at a rapid pace and does not have time to recover. The result is its death, exposure of soil and erosion. This negative phenomenon has taken 10 million square kilometers of pasture land out of circulation, out of a total area of ​​46 million, making it unusable.
• Chemical. Caused by the accumulation of individual chemical components (fertilizers, mineral elements) that destroy the soil structure.

Types of natural erosion

Ruthless, irrational human activity is capable of destroying, in a limited time, a complex and vulnerable system that has been formed over a long period. The above types of erosion are not a complete list of methods of human influence on soil cover, provoking and increasing erosion under the influence of natural factors (rain and wind). Let's consider other types of this process.

Water erosion

This process is caused by the action of raindrops, which are only an indirect cause of washing off the top layer. The main impact is a consequence of the fact that small particles carried away by water currents clog the pores of larger ones, and this reduces the moisture absorption capacity of the soil, increasing its susceptibility to erosion. The fertile layer is either washed into a nearby body of water or settles in a low-lying place where the flow speed decreases. If, when washed out, many small streams are formed, then erosion is called jet; if large channels appear, it is called gully. Water erosion with the formation of ravines is especially active during the period of snow melting, and slope pastures with sparse grass stand are most susceptible to this. Fanning out from the central core, beams whose length can reach tens of kilometers, ravines destroy meadows and fields and cut through roads. A destructive phenomenon that is not stopped in a timely manner increases in size in width and depth, capturing more and more land, which consequently loses its fertility and turns into a desert.

Wind erosion

This type of destruction of the surface layer of the earth is associated with the terrain and can be observed even on flat areas.

Wind erosion is caused by dust storms, most often affecting light soils. The upper fertile layer, up to 25 cm thick, is lifted by the wind up to 3 km and carried away, settling in a thick layer far away in other areas. The height of sediment can reach 2-3 meters.

Consequences

Wind erosion is provoked by deforestation in mountainous areas, leading to the fact that the top layer of soil that has become unprotected is carried away with the first heavy rains. Agricultural practices that are not adapted to certain climatic conditions also contribute to the destruction of the surface layer. A striking example of this is the use by settlers from Europe of traditional methods of cultivating land in arid regions or the tropics, which provoked negative consequences. Erosion resulted in a significant loss of large fertile areas. In China, the Kazakh steppe and the North American prairies, dust storms began to occur, carrying away huge amounts of fertile soil layers. It was these natural phenomena that were recorded in the 30s of the 20th century in North America during the development of the West with the help of mechanization of agriculture and railway communication, which made it possible to cultivate vast territories. Wind erosion provoked the movement of thousands of tons of soil, which reached Boston, Chicago, and New York. In New England during this period, red snow and the appearance of black hurricanes were recorded that completely blocked the sun. Many farmers, due to large losses of fertile soil layer, felt what erosion is, as they were doomed to a miserable existence and search for happiness in other regions.

The Mediterranean and tropics, in addition to strong winds, experienced powerful downpours that washed away the soil. Erosion, the consequences of which were terrible, forced the local population to adapt to the new conditions and cultivate land in the mountains. Although in those places the top layer of earth was carried away or washed away under the influence of natural factors.

During World War II, erosion caused by large-scale military operations affected 17% of the entire Earth's surface covered with vegetation. And to this day this figure is growing, steadily approaching 23%.

The influence of erosion on water pollution

Erosion spreads at a rate exceeding the rate of natural formation and restoration of the surface layer. The annual increase in damaged soils is up to 1.5 million hectares. The reduction in yields resulting from a decrease in the amount of humus (about 0.62 tons/ha) reaches 50%. In addition to tangible harm on land, erosion has a detrimental effect on water bodies, silting and polluting them with soil destruction products, which is equivalent to the impact of dumping hazardous industrial waste. In some cases, within ten years, reservoirs are completely silted. And this, in addition to the turbidity of the water, has a detrimental effect on the operation of water supply systems, power plants, and water transport. The amount of sediment transported by the river depends on the strength of soil erosion and can be enormous. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers are characterized by the greatest turbidity (up to 40 kg/m3), the purification of which requires significant investment. When water runs off from arable land, up to a third of the applied fertilizers are washed away, which are not only irretrievably lost, but also cause enormous environmental damage, affecting the quality of water. In the United States, about $1 million is spent daily on water purification.

Plants as an erosion control factor

Plants whose shallow roots strengthen the soil structure and give it water resistance have a positive effect on inhibiting erosion processes. They also change the hydrological and biological regime of soils.

The above-ground part of the flora reduces soil loss by tens or even hundreds of times. The surface layer of land is protected from the impacts of raindrops by developed vegetation cover. It increases the water impermeability of the soil and creates optimal surface roughness, which reduces the rate of slope runoff. Leaves and stems retain approximately 20 to 53% of the rainfall that falls in a year. Several millimeters of water flow are blocked by forest litter and moss.

The greatest influence of plants on erosion resistance is manifested during their maximum development, namely in the summer-autumn period.

How to resist soil destruction?

Erosion control includes the following measures:

• Soil-protective crop rotations, implying the correct use of agrotechnical techniques and proper alternation of cultivated crops. For example, after harvesting row crops that poorly protect the surface layer from being washed away, it is necessary to sow perennial grasses that protect the soil and enrich it with essential microelements.
• Agrotechnical measures that can successfully combat erosion. This is the regulation of melt water flows, aimed at protecting the surface layer, which is carried out by plowing, cultivating and sowing crops across the slope, preferably parallel to the direction of horizontal rows. Also, on sloping lands, moldboard plowing is replaced by soil cultivation without rotation.
• Forest reclamation measures, the main of which is the creation of water-regulating forest belts in areas with a small number of plantings, as well as around reservoirs and on heavily eroded steep lands rejected for agricultural use.
• Anti-gully measures aimed at stopping the growth and consolidation of existing ravines, converting surface runoff into subsurface runoff and strengthening the soil.
• Hydraulic structures that are used to retain, drain and discharge that portion of precipitation that cannot be retained by forest protection plantings and agricultural practices.

Everyone can do it

Almost every person is able to maintain the soil in ideal condition, preventing erosion from occurring. This involves the use of methods such as high-quality loosening, which prevents the formation of a surface crust and helps increase water absorption capacity, enrichment with humus, provision of the necessary humidity, and good ventilation. An effective mulching method is aimed at anti-erosion protection and consists in leaving mulch on the soil surface - plant remains that soften the force of the impact of raindrops, increasing the seepage of water under the soil, which reduces its surface runoff.

It is important to use gentle mechanical treatment methods that do not compact the soil and give it optimal looseness with small, numerous passages for ventilation and rapid drainage of water after heavy rainfall. Gentle mechanical treatment helps the soil absorb moisture in large quantities and remove its excess, which protects the soil from leaching and weathering. For tractors - fairly heavy equipment - special low-pressure tires have been developed that cause minimal damage to the surface.