What are key factors contributing to soil erosion?

The primary contributors to soil erosion are indeed water runoff and wind forces. Water runoff occurs when rainfall is excessive, leading to surface water movement that can detach and transport soil particles. This process can be exacerbated by the gradient of the land, vegetation cover, and the intensity of the rainfall, all of which influence how easily soil can be eroded.

Wind forces play a critical role especially in arid and semi-arid environments where there is little to no vegetation to anchor the soil. Strong winds can lift and carry away fine particles, leading to significant soil loss. The combined effects of these two forces—water and wind—are responsible for much of the erosion experienced in various landscapes, making them central to discussions on soil management and conservation practices.

While factors like soil color and texture, humidity and temperature variations, and anomalies in soil density can affect certain soil properties and influence erosion indirectly, they do not have the same direct impact on the erosion process as water runoff and wind forces. Soil texture, for example, can influence how easily water infiltrates or runs off, but it is the dynamics of the water and wind that directly cause the movement of soil.