Editing Erosion (section)

===Climate===
{{see also|Climatic geomorphology}}
The amount and intensity of [[rainfall|precipitation]] is the main [[Climate|climatic factor]] governing soil erosion by water. The relationship is particularly strong if heavy rainfall occurs at times when, or in locations where, the soil's surface is not well protected by [[vegetation]]. This might be during periods when [[agriculture|agricultural activities]] leave the soil bare, or in [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid]] regions where vegetation is naturally sparse. Wind erosion requires strong winds, particularly during times of drought when vegetation is sparse and soil is dry (and so is more erodible). Other climatic factors such as average temperature and temperature range may also affect erosion, via their effects on vegetation and soil properties. In general, given similar vegetation and ecosystems, areas with more precipitation (especially high-intensity rainfall), more wind, or more storms are expected to have more erosion.

In some areas of the world (e.g. the [[Midwestern United States|mid-western US]]), rainfall intensity is the primary determinant of erosivity (for a definition of ''erosivity'' check,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards|last1=Zorn|first1=Matija|last2=Komac|first2=Blaž|chapter=Erosivity |date=2013|publisher=Springer Netherlands|isbn=978-90-481-8699-0|editor-last=Bobrowsky|editor-first=Peter T.|series=Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series|pages=289–290|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-4399-4_121}}</ref>) with higher intensity rainfall generally resulting in more soil erosion by water. The size and velocity of [[rain drop]]s is also an important factor. Larger and higher-velocity rain drops have greater [[kinetic energy]], and thus their impact will displace soil particles by larger distances than smaller, slower-moving rain drops.<ref name=BlancoWater>{{cite book|last1=Blanco-Canqui|first1=Humberto|last2=Rattan|first2=Lal|chapter=Water erosion|title=Principles of soil conservation and management|date=2008|publisher=Springer|location=Dordrecht|isbn=978-1-4020-8709-7|pages=21–53 [29–31]}}</ref>

In other regions of the world (e.g. [[western Europe]]), runoff and erosion result from relatively low intensities of [[Precipitation types#Stratiform|stratiform rainfall]] falling onto the previously saturated soil. In such situations, rainfall amount rather than intensity is the main factor determining the severity of soil erosion by water.<ref name=Boardman/> According to the climate change projections, erosivity will increase significantly in Europe and soil erosion may increase by 13–22.5% by 2050 <ref>{{Cite journal|date=2021-10-01|title=Projections of soil loss by water erosion in Europe by 2050|journal=Environmental Science & Policy|language=en|volume=124|pages=380–392|doi=10.1016/j.envsci.2021.07.012|issn=1462-9011|last1=Panagos|first1=Panos|last2=Ballabio|first2=Cristiano|last3=Himics|first3=Mihaly|last4=Scarpa|first4=Simone|last5=Matthews|first5=Francis|last6=Bogonos|first6=Mariia|last7=Poesen|first7=Jean|last8=Borrelli|first8=Pasquale|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021ESPol.124..380P }}</ref>

In [[Taiwan]], where typhoon frequency increased significantly in the 21st century, a strong link has been drawn between the increase in storm frequency with an increase in sediment load in rivers and reservoirs, highlighting the impacts [[climate change]] can have on erosion.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Montgomery|first1=David R.|last2=Huang|first2=Michelle Y.-F.|last3=Huang|first3=Alice Y.-L.|date=2014-01-01|title=Regional soil erosion in response to land use and increased typhoon frequency and intensity, Taiwan|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/quaternary-research/article/div-classtitleregional-soil-erosion-in-response-to-land-use-and-increased-typhoon-frequency-and-intensity-taiwandiv/377D2EDD04D595F781FC81F2D064D37A|journal=Quaternary Research|volume=81|issue=1|pages=15–20|doi=10.1016/j.yqres.2013.10.005|issn=0033-5894|bibcode=2014QuRes..81...15M|s2cid=53649150|access-date=2017-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224053537/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/quaternary-research/article/div-classtitleregional-soil-erosion-in-response-to-land-use-and-increased-typhoon-frequency-and-intensity-taiwandiv/377D2EDD04D595F781FC81F2D064D37A|archive-date=2017-02-24|url-status=live}}</ref>