Nuclear war and soil erosion: some problems and prospects

A survey of present knowledge about the extent, effects, and prevention of soil erosion as background for further investigations related to the situation after a hypothetical thermonuclear attack on the United States. Erosion, presently the dominant conservation problem on more than half the U.S. land, seriously affects land and water resources and waterways. The interruption of man's constant battle to save the soil would probably rank high in accelerating erosion in a postattack environment. The best protection against erosion is undisturbed vegetative ground cover; clean-tilled cropland may lose thousands of times as much soil per year as areas covered with protective vegetation. More than a third of U.S. cropland presently requires antierosion treatment. In addition to basic information on present land use and the erosion hazard, further research is needed on effective agricultural practices and on radiation-resistant plant species. Plants should be established in areas now endangered by erosion and should be stockpiled for emergencies.