|
Deforestation involves removal of surface vegetation. In consequence, changes occur in the
soil-forming processes, and soil erosion is increased. These result in Soil Deterioration.
For example, rains in countries in SE Asia wash away the exposed red earth exposed by
logging. In the severely depleted areas, there are many cases of soil erosion by runoff
and mass movement, resulting in the increase likelihood of downstream flooding. Soil-forming processes and soil development are interrupted because the soil is exposed to the atmospheric agents. Rise in soil temperature leads to rapid disappearance of humus. On steep slopes, erosion begins to remove the top soil or truncate the top soil, hence arresting soil-forming processes and soil development. Furthermore, soil erosion is increased due to lack of protective vegetation cover. There is also soil compaction due to cultivation after deforestation. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| © Copyright 1999, ThinkQuest team 26634 All rights reserved. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
¡@
¡@
