Soil erosion

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/soil-erosion

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key human drivers of erosion?Intensive agriculture, deforestation, road construction, urban sprawl, and anthropogenic climate change
2. Why is soil erosion a big problem for the planet?It is a big problem because it happens 10 to 50 times faster now than in the past, and it hurts plants, animals, and people.
3. How does water cause soil erosion?Water erosion happens when rain splashes, flows across the land, or forms small channels, carrying soil away.

Denudation: The process of wearing away the Earth's surface, primarily through erosion and weathering.
Aeolian erosion: The process of soil and rock being eroded, transported, and deposited by wind.
Eutrophication: The enrichment of a water body with nutrients, leading to excessive plant and algal growth and oxygen depletion.