Importance of Wind

Wind erosion

Wind is an important agent in shaping the earth's surface. Wind is caused by movement of gas molecules in the earth's surface. This happens as a response from the changing atmospheric pressures. Although not a strong or violent agent of erosion like water and ice, over time wind erosion can result to transportation of so much material and help sculpture a landscape. Wind erosion is capable of transporting loose and unconsolidated sand and dust fragments. Wind cannot move larger particles unless for stormy conditions. But wind is an important agent of soil erosion as can pick soil particles and small aggregates and displace them in other soil series. This can form beautiful spectacular features like the sand dunes. Wind can also erode rocks by small articles of sand and erode the exposed rocks.  (Erosion and deposition and Effects of wind erosion).

Although an agent for some natural beauty by sculpturing the landscape, wind erosion is a serious threat in parts of the world especially the arid and semi-arid areas. Prolonged dry spells can result into dust storms and hardships on the people. Wind erosion threatens the sustainability of a country's natural resources. Wind erosion severely damages agricultural land throughout the plains (The problem of wind erosion).

In the US, wind erosion has been a dominant problem on several hectares of land (about 30 million hectares) according to the USDA, 1995. Wind erosion removes the lighter and less dense top soil thus removing the fertile soil and lowering soil productivity. According to experts, the removal of the top soil will lower soil productivity translating to annual yield reductions of crop harvests (The problem of wind erosion).

Soil productivity is therefore affected by wind erosion in many ways. By wind erosion and deposition, there is the variation in soil characteristics that may require costly soil management practices. The continued slow loss of the top soil will finally reduce the soil productivity but at the same time result in beautiful landscapes like the sand dune in deserts.