Weathering, water, wind, waves, ice, gravity, soil loss, gullies, streambanks, sediment, turbidity, land cover, slopes, runoff, construction, farming, coastlines, and conservation practices
Erosion
Erosion is the movement of soil, rock, or sediment by water, wind, ice, waves, or gravity, reshaping landscapes while also creating risks for land and water.
What erosion is
Erosion is the removal and transport of soil, rock, or sediment. Weathering breaks material down; erosion carries it away. The process is natural, but it can become damaging when land cover is removed or water flow is concentrated.
Water erosion
Rainfall and runoff can detach soil particles and move them downhill. Sheet erosion removes thin layers, rills form small channels, and gullies cut deeper paths that are harder to repair.
Wind, waves, ice, and gravity
Wind can lift dry, unprotected soil. Waves and currents reshape coasts and riverbanks. Glaciers grind and move rock. Gravity pulls loosened material downslope through rockfalls, landslides, and slow soil creep.
Why land cover matters
Plants, roots, leaf litter, and soil structure protect the ground from raindrop impact and slow runoff. When soil is bare or compacted, more water flows over the surface and carries sediment with it.
Sediment in water
Eroded sediment can cloud streams, fill reservoirs, bury habitat, carry attached nutrients or chemicals, and raise water treatment costs. Some sediment movement is natural, but too much can damage aquatic ecosystems.
Erosion and stormwater
Urban runoff and construction sites can increase erosion by sending fast water over exposed soil or into stream channels. Erosion controls try to keep soil in place and slow water before it reaches drains or waterways.
Prevention and repair
Common approaches include keeping soil covered, planting vegetation, protecting streambanks, using terraces or contour farming, reducing compaction, installing sediment barriers, and designing drainage so water spreads out instead of cutting channels.
Why it matters
Erosion shapes valleys, coasts, and floodplains, but accelerated erosion can strip fertile soil, threaten infrastructure, worsen water quality, and increase downstream sediment problems. Managing it is part of protecting both land and water.