Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Gulley erosion
Splash erosion
Rill erosion
Sheet
erosion
Deposits
FIGURE 2.12
Water erosion on the land surface.
(a)
(b)
FIGURE 2.13
(a) Rill erosion in an urban area. (Photo by Martin M. Kaufman.). (b) Gullying around a stormdrain. (Photo by
Martin M. Kaufman.)
• Cultivation or farming
• Removal of leaf litter, small shrubs, and grasses
On coastlines, wind, waves, and storms promote the most significant erosion. Wind pro-
duces waves and storms produce high wind and big waves. Large storm waves have been
known to produce 907 kg (2000 lb) of pressure per square foot. The pure energy of waves
and the chemical content of the water combine to erode sediment and rock along a coast-
line (Bird 1985). Other factors, such as rising sea levels, tides, tidal currents, and drainage
patterns from land naturally influence coastal erosion.
Waves erode shorelines in three main ways:
• Hydraulic action—waves strike a steep slope and dislodge material
• Abrasion—solid materials such as sand or rocks grind together causing them to
become rounded and smaller in size
• Corrosion or dissolution—sea water reacts with the sediments along the shoreline
and slowly dissolves portions of the solid material
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