A new study finds that large-scale farming projects can erode the Earth's surface at rates comparable to those of the world's largest rivers and glaciers. Published online in the journal Nature Geoscience, the research offers stark evidence of how humans are reshaping the planet. It also finds that - contrary to previous scholarship - rivers are as powerful as glaciers at eroding landscapes.
A new study finds that large-scale farming projects can erode the Earth's surface at rates comparable to those of the world's largest rivers and glaciers.
Published online in the journal Nature Geoscience, the research offers stark evidence of how humans are reshaping the planet. It also finds that - contrary to previous scholarship - rivers are as powerful as glaciers at eroding landscapes.
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In some cases, the researchers found large-scale farming eroded lowland agricultural fields at rates comparable to glaciers and rivers in the most tectonically active mountain belts.
"This study shows that humans are playing a significant role in speeding erosion in low lying areas," says Michele Koppes, a professor of geography at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and lead author of the study. "These low-altitude areas do not have the same rate of tectonic uplift, so the land is being denuded at an unsustainable rate."
Contrary to previous scholarship, they found that rivers and glaciers in active mountain ranges are both capable of eroding landscapes by more than one centimetre per year. Studies had previously indicated that glaciers could erode landscapes as much as 10 times faster than rivers, Koppes says.
For more information: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902112105.htm
