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How to Conduct a Wind Erosion Experiment

Wind erosion occurs when wind blows soil or dirt particles from one place to another. It can change the shape of rock formations as soft rock erodes. Wind erosion also can alter the soil makeup of a field as topsoil blows away and gets replaced with less productive sand or soil from neighboring areas. Farmers work hard to create effective wind breaks in order to prevent wind erosion from degrading the soil quality, and therefore production levels, of their farms.

Things You'll Need

Shallow bins
Sand
Potting soil
Barriers
Fan
Trowel
Sieve
Scales

Instructions

- 1
  Set up one bin for each type of barrier by filling one half of the bin with sand and the other with potting soil. Barriers can be small plants, disposable cups or fences made of craft sticks.
- 2
  Place each barrier between the soil and the sand in its bin. For living plant barriers, plant them on the boundary between the soil and the sand as if planting in a garden. For other forms of barriers, consider what setup will work best to stop the wind. You may want to dig an 1 to 2 inches down to make the barriers secure.
- 3
  Place the fan at the sand end of each bin and turn it on so it blows sand toward the soil for a set period of time. Make sure nobody is standing downwind of the bins when you turn the fan on.
- 4
  Scoop the top layer of the soil out of the first bin with the trowel and use the sieve to separate the soil from whatever sand blew into it.
- 5
  Weigh the sand that blew past the barrier in the first bin. Repeat the process to extract and weigh the sand the that blew past the barrier in each of the other bins. Compare the results to see which barrier worked best to minimize wind erosion.

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