Strong and sustained winds along with dry, bare soils contributed to serious soil loss. Wind erosion is the detachment, transportation and redeposition of soil particles by wind. The most familiar result of wind erosion is the loss of topsoil and nutrients which reduces the soil's ability to produce crops. Topsoil loss can be seen as rocky or gravelly knolls, thin soils mixed with lighter coloured subsoil, or the presence of calcium carbonate in surface soils. Topsoil redeposition can be seen as raised fence lines, blackened snow drifts, sand deposits and ditches filled with soil.
Soil productivity is affected by wind erosion in various ways.
Areas of erosion and deposition within a field increase the variation in soil characteristics, requiring more costly and less efficient soil management practices. Wind removes the smaller clay particles and organic matter from the soil while coarser materials are left behind. The continued loss of fine particles reduces soil quality. In shallow soils and soils with a hardpan layer, wind erosion also results in decreased root zone depth and water-holding capacity. Such changes may occur slowly and go unnoticed for many years especially if mixing by tillage masks the effects of wind erosion.