How does climate change affect soil erosion?

Climate change significantly affects soil erosion through increased precipitation events and changes in weather patterns. When climate change leads to more intense rainfall, the soil becomes saturated more quickly. Saturated soil has reduced capacity to absorb additional water, leading to greater runoff. This runoff picks up soil particles and transports them away, resulting in accelerated soil erosion.

The other options do not accurately reflect the effects of climate change on soil erosion. For instance, climate change tends to increase rainfall variability rather than reduce it, which can exacerbate soil erosion problems. While plant growth can provide some level of erosion control, climate change does not inherently enhance plant growth in a consistent manner across different environments; droughts or flooding can actually harm plant health. Finally, soil structure is often destabilized under extreme climate conditions, rather than being stabilized, making soil more prone to erosion.