Wrapper Project Team Foreward Preface Executive Summary ...

District Agriculture Plan – Kanyakumari District 26Wind ErosionIt implies uniform displacement of topsoil by wind action. It can result in loss oftopsoil and the deposition of the eroded material elsewhere leads to formation dunecomplexes. The risk of wind erosion is severe in the arid and semi-arid areas. It includesboth the removal and deposition of soil particles by wind action and the abrasive effectsof moving particles as they are transported. Not only can the wind remove topsoil fromgood farmland; it can result in additional damage by burying land, buildings, machinery,etc. with unwanted soil. It occurs when soil is left devoid of vegetation either because ofpoor rainfall to support any vegetal cover or loss of vegetation due to overgrazing. In thesand deposited areas with rainfall the sand gets stabilized partially of fully depending onvegetal cover it establishes.During high winds the finer, and commonly more fertile, particles are swept high inthe air and are sometimes carried for great distances as dust storms; while coarserparticles are rolled or swept along on or very near the soil surface to be piled intodepressions. The process is highly dynamic and requires careful evaluation of the site andprocess.