Erosion

What is soil erosion?

Soil erosion is the removal of material from one place and its transport towards another by the
action of wind or water
What causes soil erosion?

Increasing populations (Pimentel)

Loss of soil organic matter (Pimentel)
Overstocking and overgrazing
Inappropriate farming techniques
Lack of crop rotation

While a doubling of the population and a

moderate increase of livestock may still be
sustainable with other efforts performed,
unlimited growth will lead to an excessive
land resource overuse and an almost
irreversible ecological disaster within a
very few decades (Pimentel)

Population rates in regions where erosion is a serious problem, are greater than the
national average

Why is it a concern?

As the worlds population continues to grow, the amount of food production could be
under that of the population as increased soil erosion has slowed food production
(Brown)

Politics
Soil Conservation and Domestic Act of 1936:

President FDR signed legislation that allowed the U.S Government to pay farmers to cut
down on production to help conserve soil and help prevent erosion (Soil Conservation)
Rewarded farmers who planted crops to support the soil, rather than crops that were for
commercial use that exhausted the soil (Soil Conservation)
o This was difficult for many farmers to agree to as it was during the Great
Depression (Soil Conservation)

United States Department of Agriculture:

Soil division
o Responsible for formulating policy, collaborating with others at the international
and national level to carry out National Cooperative Soil
Survey (NCSS) activities (Natural Resources)
o The U.S Soil Conservation Service says that 158 million acres of the 413 million
acres need additional attention that what they are being given now
17 million of those acres are eroding so quickly that the Soil Conservation
Service recommends that it be shifted from continuous row cropping and
converted to woodland, grassland, or long term rotation (Brown).
o There are 141 million acres of cropland that are losing over five tons of soil a year
(Brown)

What is beach erosion?

Beach erosion is when the oceans waves and currents remove sand from a beach
(Coastal Change)
o This decreases the size of the beach
The sand is then carried out into the ocean, creating sandbars (Coastal Change)

Beach
serious
coastal
tourism is
Storms also

erosion is a
problem in
areas where
heavily relied on.
impact the rate

and extent of beach erosion.

Local Impacts
Beach renourishment projects are a costly and timely process, but many argue it is not a question
of if it should be done, but when. Here in Sarasota, we see this issue regarding Anna Maria
Island. In order to keep the beaches healthy and able to support the thousands of tourists who
visit the area for the beaches annually, the beaches must be built up.
Anna Maria renourishment project

$12 million project (Q&A)

Will involve pumping one million cubic yards of sand from offshore (Q&A)
The project is funded from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA (Federal
Emergency Management Agency), state of Florida and Manatee County (Q&A)
This adds, depending on the exact location, up to 200 feet of beach area and sand
(Q&A)
These beaches that are being renourished have a life of 6 to 8 years (Q&A)

Charlie Hunsicker, director of Manatee County's Parks and Natural Resources Department stated
that, Anna Maria Island is nourished on a periodic basis to replace sand lost to coastal erosion
for storm protection, sea turtle nesting and shorebird habitat and recreation (Q&A)
He also stated that, the Manatee County Shore Protection Project is a 50-year federally
authorized project that requires maintenance by periodic renourishment events every 10 years.
The most recent project was a storm damage repair project constructed in 2006 to re-establish the
10-year cycle after the impacts from the 2004-05 tropical storm season. Prior to that, the beach
was nourished in 2002 and 1992, representing the typical renourishment interval (Q&A)

Works Cited

Brown, L.R. "World Population Growth, Soil Erosion, and Food Security." World Population
Growth, Soil Erosion, and Food Security. | POPLINE.org. N.p., 27 Nov. 1981. Web. 18
Oct. 2014. <http://www.popline.org/node/395202>.

"Coastal Change Hazards: Hurricanes and Extreme Storms." Beach Erosion -. N.p., n.d. Web. 20
Oct. 2014. <http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/coastal-change/beach-erosion.php>.

"Natural Resources Conservation Service." Soil Science Division. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/about/?cid=nrcs142p2_054335>.

Pimentel, David. "Soil Erosion: A Threat to Mankind." JSTOR 75.4 (1994): 1193. Web. 18 Oct.
2014. <http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/stable/1939447>.

"Soil Conservation in the New Deal Congress | US House of Representatives: History, Art &
Archives." Soil Conservation in the New Deal Congress. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36550

"Q&A: Anna Maria Island Beach Renourishment." HeraldTribune.com. N.p., 8 Jan. 2014. Web.
21 Oct. 2014. <http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20140108/ARTICLE/140109671>.