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How Erosion Occurs
Through the force of gravity, wind, water and ice flow from one place to another in what is called fluid flow. This flow creates erosion in the sediment along river beds, ocean shores, rock faces and other earthly elements. Water is the most common force involved with erosion because it covers two-thirds of the Earth's surface. Bio-erosion is another cause outside of the natural effects of the wind and water. Bio-erosion is weathering through animal movement such as burrowing.
Shoreline and Riverbank Erosion
Although a natural process, ocean tides and river currents are the most common cause of erosion. An ocean's waves pound on the shoreline and recede, carrying sediment away from the shore. The erosion can make shore properties and shoreline parks disappear over time. A river naturally carries sediment to its mouth, forming a delta, but the erosion along its banks before that point can lead weakened levees and dikes and endanger communities with the threat of flood. Man-made jetties, levees, dams and river bank dikes are used to help prevent these instances, but they are not a definitive solution.
The Effects of Industriail Agriculture
Industrial agriculture is the use of mechanical tillage on farm land that reduces the amount of vegetation or roots than natural occurring vegetation would allow. Areas in which this vegetation is displaced provide less of an impediment for the forces of erosion to take hold and wear away soil. Soil structure and quality are vital in providing plant roots with a viable source of nutrients. As the soil is eroded over time and crops are turned over, the soil loses more nutritional value and effects future crops. A movement for more sustainable farming has helped prevent soil erosion, including techniques such as terrace building crop formations and no-till practices.
The Effects of Deforstation
Similar to industrial agriculture, deforestation can cause widespread erosion in areas where trees have been cut for industrial or commercial use or where clear-cutting has occurred. Soil is more easily eroded without the presence of trees and their roots to decrease wind and water effects and keep soil in place. A movement to outlaw clear-cutting has proved effective in providing more responsible ways to continue harvesting lumber without completely decimating forests.
Urban Development
Whether building highways, apartment buildings, high rises or factories, urban development has had a negative affect by displacing large scale areas of sediment. This changes the landscape and the ecosystem as well. In some cases, industrialization has come up with solutions that have helped avoid the waste of land area such as using landfill from construction sites to create property elsewhere. The land taken from the area of the original World Trade Center was removed and replaced to form an addition to Battery Park in New York City, as well as land that would become the community of Battery Park City. However, urban and industrial development continue to displace wildlife and cause large amounts of wasted acreage and sediment.