Wind Erosion in Western Queensland Australia

Chapter 2 – Land Erodibility Controlssoil erodibility) to external forcing mechanisms. In this way the condition represents abalance of competing forces that drive changes in the system.Figure 2.11 Conceptual model of land erodibility, expressed as a function of surface roughness effectsdue to vegetation cover (top) and soil erodibility (bottom). Land erodibility is determined by therelative conditions of surface roughness and soil erodibility. In turn, these controls are regulated byclimate and land management conditions.Land erodibility is controlled by relative positions of the dynamic vegetation cover (surfaceroughness) and soil erodibility factors within their respective continuums. In reality thefactors are linked and interact through multiple and complex feedback mechanisms. Inaddition to the feedbacks, Section 2.2 has demonstrated that changing soil conditions andvegetation cover have a non-linear effect on land susceptibility to wind erosion. Theimplications of the physical relationships underlying land susceptibility to wind erosion arethat for land types under different climate and land use/land management regimes, factorscontrolling land erodibility will exhibit high levels of spatial and temporal variability. The66