Dramatic Erosion of a Tobacco Field at Vanceboro, North Carolina

Recent research has shown that soil erosion on the Atlantic Coastal Plain is more rapid and extensive than was long believed to be the case. This paper describes serious erosion on a 4.5-ha field of tobacco at Vanceboro, North Carolina, as a result of a severe thunderstorm during the summer of 1995. A total of 15.2 t of soil was lost via a network of rills from the field; this represents a rate of soil loss of 3.4 t ha^-1. Despite alluvial soils that are well drained, the study confirms that intense rain and long flow lengths, especially along compacted wheelings, can generate large amounts of runoff and erosion even on flat ground with good crop cover.