ABSTRACT
General areas most susceptible to wind erosion on agricultural land include much of North Africa and the Near East, parts of southern and eastern Asia, Australia, and southern South America, and the semiarid and arid portions of North America. Wind erosion can be a problem whenever the following soil, vegetative, and climatic conditions exist: the soil is loose, dry, and reasonably finely divided; the soil surface is smooth and vegetative cover is absent or sparse; the field is sufficiently large; and the wind is strong enough to move soil. Wind erosion sometimes virtually removes the entire surface soil. Wind erosion physically removes from the field the most fertile portion of the soil and, therefore, lowers productivity. Soil erosion by wind occurs when wind exerts enough force on the surface of the ground that the most easily detachable soil particles or sand grains dislodge and are transported by the wind.
