Soil Erosion and Conservation (eBook)

Roy Morgan is Emeritus Professor in Soil Erosion Control in the National Soil Resources Institute (NSRI), Cranfield University, UK. He is a founder member and past President of the European Society for Soil Conservation and, before retirement, was the Deputy Director of NSRI. He has some 35 years' experience in lecturing, research and consultancy on soil erosion, with particular interests in erosion assessment, erosion modelling and the use of vegetation in soil protection. His work has taken him to many countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe and has involved the design of soil protection measures on farmland, road banks and pipeline corridors.

Foreword vii

Preface ix

1 Soil erosion: the global context 1

Box 1. Erosion, population and food supply 9

2 Processes and mechanics of erosion 11

Box 2. Initiation of soil particle movement 42

3 Factors influencing erosion 45

Box 3. Scale and erosion processes 65

4 Erosion hazard assessment 67

Box 4. Upscaling detailed field surveys to national surveys 93

5 Measurement of soil erosion 95

Box 5. Sediment budgets 113

6 Modelling soil erosion 116

Box 6. Uncertainty in model predictions 149

7 Strategies for erosion control 152

Box 7. Planning a soil conservation strategy 172

8 Crop and vegetation management 175

Box 8. Selecting vegetation for erosion control 197

9 Soil management 200

Box 9. Tillage erosion 210

10 Mechanical methods of erosion control 212

Box 10. Laying out terraces and waterways 241

11 Implementation 244

Box 11. Land Care 254

12 The way ahead 257

References 262

Acknowledgements 297

Index 299