In the “Man Wrecks Planet” column, Cecil states:
Even if the numbers aren’t correct, I’m assuming we do lose topsoil. How, exactly? Where does it go? Any way to put it back?
Yes, it blows away- justlike in the Dustbowl era. It is even a problem in green, wet England- particularly in the drier eastern part of the country.
Unfortunately it gets blown into the sea.
Some of the soil that gets blown onto land around the world can be gathered up again, but it has generally lost its organic content…
I think solutions can and will be found, but they are expensive; the worst soil loss will be in laces that cannot afford to lose it.
SF worldbuilding at
http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html
Most soil loss is from water rather than wind. The stuff simply runs away down the rivers.
It can’t really be put back as such. Topsoils are a complex blend of weathered parent material and organic matter. We can grind up rock and add organic mulch to the mix to produce artificial soil, but at this point in time it is not practical in most places.