Communicating soil erosion in the UK: How should we present extreme events?

Abstract

The presentation of soil erosion on agricultural land, both to the expert and the public, frequently takes the form of pictures and descriptions of extreme events. These attention-grabbing images are case studies of worst-case scenarios and serve an important purpose of warning what may happen under certain circumstances; they also have a potential to mislead. On the other hand, long-term studies of erosion are able to present extreme events in a more acceptable scientific context. Monitoring studies emphasise the importance of frequent, low-magnitude runoff events and their ability to transport nutrients and pesticides to freshwater systems. Thus, the need for a balanced presentation of erosion which places extreme events in a broad context in space and time. Communicating with practitioners such as farmers requires the use of non-conventional channels rather than the reliance on academic journals.