deserts

Causes of Wind Erosion Wind erosion can occur in any area where the soil or sand is not compacted or is of a finely granulated nature. Not only does wind erosion damage the land by drying out soil and reducing the nutrients of the land, it can also cause air pollution.

Wind cannot carry as large particles as flowing water, but easily pick ups dry particles of soil, sand and dust and carries them away. Wind generally causes erosion by deflation and/or abrasion. Wind breaks are often planted by farmers to reduce wind erosion.

Trees, shrubs, and other plants can even limit the impact of mass wasting events such as landslides and other natural hazards such as hurricanes. Deserts, which generally lack thick vegetation, are often the most eroded landscapes on the planet.

The impacts of erosion on cropping lands include: reduced ability of the soil to store water and nutrients. exposure of subsoil, which often has poor physical and chemical properties. higher rates of runoff, shedding water and nutrients otherwise used for crop growth.

Benefits. Natural soil erosion can play a beneficial role in the environment too. The erosion also helped cleanse the soil of any useless materials, such as rotting tree matter or nutrient-less dirt from the area. The replaced soil can often become nutrient-rich and help plant life thrive.

All coastlines are affected by storms and other natural events that cause erosion; the combination of storm surge at high tide with additional effects from strong waves—conditions commonly associated with landfalling tropical storms—creates the most damaging conditions.

Coastal erosion may be caused by hydraulic action, abrasion, impact and corrosion by wind and water, and other forces, natural or unnatural. Also abrasion commonly happens in areas where there are strong winds, loose sand, and soft rocks. The blowing of millions of sharp sand grains creates a sandblasting effect.

If the walls are maintained they may hold back the ocean temporarily. The construction of a seawall usually displaces the open beach that it is built upon. Wave energy can be reflected from a seawall sideways along the shore, causing coastal bluffs without protection to erode faster.

Hard Engineering coastal protection methods, such as; Sea wall, Rock Armour and Gabions, have been used in Ballybunion. This is done by placing an artificial, more resistant barrier between wave action and the coast. During the Winter in Ballybunion, they also use JCB’s to pile up sand high to deflect the waves.

In addition to providing a home for fish, coastal habitats — such as wetlands and oyster reefs — also increase the resilience of coastal areas to climate change and sea level rise, improve water quality, and provide valuable economic and ecological services.