Erosion in the United States

Understanding the Charts

The charts below show the amount of soil eroded on U.S. cropland every year. Note that the charts are divided by wind and water erosion in all but one case.

In addition, some charts show total erosion on all U.S. cropland annually, while others show the average amount of erosion on a single acre in a year. For instance, in 2001 the total amount of soil eroded by wind was 0.8 billion tons. The average wind erosion rate was 2.1 tons per acre per year.

Where Do These Numbers Come From?

Erosion information comes from the National Resources Inventory, conducted by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Data were collected at 800,000 sample sites across the United States.

Total Soil Eroded on U.S. Cropland

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Soil Eroded by Water on U.S. Cropland

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Soil Eroded by Water per Acre Annually

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Soil Eroded by Wind on U.S. Cropland

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Soil Eroded by Wind per Acre Annually

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