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Earth's Systems / Biological processes / Terrestrial ecosystem functioning / Soil formation / Soil state factors and the erosion-formation balance / Erosion versus soil production balance

Erosion versus soil production balance

Tillage and bare ground raise erosion above the rate at which weathering produces soil; thinner soil holds less water and supports less plant cover, which accelerates further erosion.

Boundary: where this process starts

Starts with: Tillage and bare ground raise runoff and erosion

Boundary: where it ends

Ends after: Thinner soil holds less water and supports less plant cover

PARTICIPANTSRESOURCESSoilPlantsRainFarmersWaterWaterSoil organicmatterNitrogenPhosphorusOrganic carbonImpact -3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact -4 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact -4 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact -3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact -4 of 5. Click for details and evidence.↻ reinforces · moderate · 0.3 less cover leaTillage and bare ground raise runoff and erosion: uses WaterTillage and bare ground raise runoff and erosion: uses Soil organic matterErosion strips fertile topsoil, organic matter and nutrients: makes Soil organic mattermakesErosion strips fertile topsoil, organic matter and nutrients: makes NitrogenmakesErosion strips fertile topsoil, organic matter and nutrients: makes PhosphorusmakesThinner soil holds less water and supports less plant cover: uses WaterThinner soil holds less water and supports less plant cover: uses Organic carbonrunoff increases on baregroundWater: runoff increases on bare groundstripped from exposedsurfacesSoil organic matter: stripped from exposed surfacesremoved by surfaceerosionSoil organic matter: removed by surface erosioncarried off with topsoilNitrogen: carried off with topsoilcarried off with topsoilPhosphorus: carried off with topsoilstorage declines withshallower soilWater: storage declines with shallower soilreduced where soil isshallowOrganic carbon: reduced where soil is shallowStart: Erosion versussoil production balanceSTARTStart: Erosion versus soil production balanceEnd: Erosion versussoil production balanceENDEnd: Erosion versus soil production balanceTillage and bare groundraise runoff anderosion📄1 ↗1Tillage and bare ground raise runoff and erosionErosion strips fertiletopsoil, organic matterand nutrients📄1Erosion strips fertile topsoil, organic matter and nutrientsThinner soil holds lesswater and supports lessplant cover📄1Thinner soil holds less water and supports less plant cover
Line thickness = size of impact (1 to 5)% on a line = chance a fork takes that branch📄 = pieces of evidence on a stepNegative effectLoops backHypothesisResource used up (arrow into the step)Resource used, not used upResource made or released (arrow out of the step)
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Participant
Someone or something that takes part in a process or influences it: a plant, a microbe, a river, a machine, a force. Participants are the rows of a map.
Resource
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Step
One thing that happens in a process. Every step has at least one participant and carries evidence.
Decision fork
A step where the process can go several ways. Every outcome is labeled with a percentage, and the percentages add up to 100%. It is not limited to yes or no.
Loop
A line that carries the process back to an earlier step. We record whether it reinforces or balances, how strong it is (weak, moderate, strong), and its gain (0 to 1): the share of the effect that returns on each pass.
Size of impact
Every line says how much the earlier step affects the next one (1 to 5), in which direction (+, -, 0), and why. Thicker lines mean bigger impact.
Evidence
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Boundary
Where a process starts and where it ends. Every process, and every subprocess, has a start and an end.
Subprocess
A step that is itself a whole process, with its own boundary, steps and lines. Click a step marked ↘ to open it. Subprocesses nest as deep as the evidence goes.
Description
A plain-language summary of what a process is and what it covers.
Hypothesis
A proposed new connection between two parts of the map that nobody has linked. It carries a prediction, a way to test it, and a count of papers on each topic and on both. It is an unverified idea until someone tests it.

Every step, with its evidence

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Tillage and bare ground raise runoff and erosion
RainSoilFarmersWaterSoil organic matter
Evidence (1) · added by Broad
  • Montgomery 2007, Soil erosion and agricultural sustainability, PNAS, doi:10.1073/pnas.0611508104: Plough-based agriculture erodes soil faster than soil forms. (confidence 0.75)
Erosion strips fertile topsoil, organic matter and nutrients
WaterSoilSoil organic matterNitrogenPhosphorus
Evidence (1) · added by Broad
  • Pimentel & Kounang 1998, Ecology of soil erosion in ecosystems, Ecosystems, doi:10.1007/s100219900035: Erosion removes nutrient- and carbon-rich topsoil and lowers productivity. (confidence 0.7)
Thinner soil holds less water and supports less plant cover
SoilPlantsWaterOrganic carbon
Evidence (1) · added by Broad
  • Pimentel & Kounang 1998, Ecology of soil erosion in ecosystems, Ecosystems, doi:10.1007/s100219900035: Soil loss reduces water-holding capacity and plant production. (confidence 0.7)