ABSTRACT
Some distinctions, assumptions: first, “natural” can be differentiated from “induced” erosion (this entry will concentrate on the latter); second, hot spots vary both in time and space (they come and go and their intensity varies from place to place); third, a hot spot is assumed to be where the rate of wind erosion is well above the mean, even though it may not have serious economic impact. Hence, the Dust Bowl of the Great Plains in the 1930s was probably a hot spot, yet, today, agriculture is prosperous there. There and elsewhere, as in the West African Sahel, the Mallee of southeastern Australia, a great deal of soil may be lost without much impact on yield, until the last few centimeters of soil are left.
