Drivers: human influence and climate

Modern activities such as intensive farming, deforestation and urbanisation can accelerate erosion by reducing protective vegetation, compacting soil, and increasing field size.

Under intensive agriculture, ploughing concentrates overland flow in furrows and destroys soil aggregates. In forestry, logging exposes more soil to splash erosion and forest roads cause significant compaction. Urbanisation increases the total area of impermeable surfaces, which collects water and risks downstream erosion if not properly managed.

Climate. Rainfall intensity directly affects splash erosion and overland flow. Temperature matters in cold regions, where freeze-thaw cycles influence erodibility and snowmelt events drive large flows.