by Daniel Brouse
March 27, 2025
Soil is a vital component of the climate system and highly vulnerable to change. Erosion and degradation have severe short-term impacts and can ultimately lead to desertification.
Erosion Feedback Loop
Climate change accelerates erosion by altering weather patterns, increasing extreme weather events, and disrupting land and water interactions. More intense rainfall, rising sea levels, and prolonged droughts all contribute to faster soil loss and degradation.
In turn, erosion exacerbates climate change through multiple feedback mechanisms:
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Reduced Vegetation Cooling: The loss of plant cover decreases evapotranspiration, which helps regulate temperatures, leading to further warming.
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Albedo Changes: As fertile, dark soil is stripped away, exposed lighter-colored subsoil or sand reflects more or less sunlight, disrupting local and global climate patterns.
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Carbon Release: Erosion exposes and breaks down organic matter in soil, releasing stored carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, further fueling climate change.
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Water Cycle Disruptions: Degraded soils hold less moisture, reducing cloud formation and precipitation in some areas while increasing flood risks elsewhere.
This self-reinforcing cycle makes erosion not just a consequence of climate change but also a driver, worsening environmental instability over time.
Climate change intensifies erosion in multiple ways by altering weather patterns, increasing extreme weather events, and changing land and water interactions. Here are the key mechanisms:
1. Increased Rainfall Intensity
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Heavier Downpours: Warmer air holds more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall. This enhances surface runoff, stripping away topsoil and deepening gullies.
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More Frequent Storms: Stronger storms produce flash floods that erode riverbanks, coastal areas, and hillsides more aggressively.
2. Rising Sea Levels & Coastal Erosion
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Stronger Waves & Storm Surges: Rising sea levels push tides further inland, eroding coastlines at an accelerated rate.
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Saltwater Intrusion: Weakens coastal soils, making them more vulnerable to erosion.
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Loss of Protective Barriers: Higher temperatures contribute to coral reef and ice cap loss, reducing natural barriers against wave action.
3. Increased Droughts & Vegetation Loss
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Soil Drying & Cracking: Frequent droughts cause soils to dry out and become less cohesive, making them more prone to wind erosion.
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Vegetation Decline: Heat stress, wildfires, and shifting climate zones kill plants that anchor the soil, leading to more erosion from wind and water.
4. Melting Permafrost & Landslides
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Thawing Permafrost: Releases previously frozen organic material, causing ground instability and slumping.
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More Landslides: Unstable, thawing soils on slopes increase the risk of landslides, especially in mountainous regions.
5. Glacial Retreat & River Erosion
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Faster Glacier Melting: Increases sediment transport in rivers, leading to changes in riverbanks and deltas.
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Altered River Courses: More meltwater can change river flow patterns, leading to unexpected erosion and sedimentation.
6. Stronger Wind Erosion
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Desertification Expansion: Hotter, drier conditions turn more land into deserts, exposing it to wind erosion.
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Dust Storms: More frequent and intense, carrying away nutrient-rich topsoil and worsening land degradation.
Overall Impact
Erosion worsened by climate change not only depletes fertile soils and damages infrastructure but also increases sedimentation in rivers, harming aquatic ecosystems. Coastal communities face greater risks, and agricultural lands lose productivity, exacerbating food insecurity.
More Resources
Soil Degradation and Desertification
The Decline of Penn’s Sylvania: Trees and Temperate Zones
The Album ‘Wood You Save the Trees?’ by The Beatless Sense Mongers