Final answer:
The Dust Bowl was an ecological catastrophe caused by factors such as over farming, overgrazing, and a prolonged drought starting in 1931. The removal of prairie grasses for agriculture, combined with drought, resulted in severe topsoil erosion and devastating dust storms across the Southern Great Plains.
Step-by-step explanation:
Contributing Factors to the Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a significant environmental disaster that occurred during the mid-1930s in the Southern Great Plains. A critical factor contributing to this catastrophe was the over farming and overgrazing of land. Due to the high demand for wheat during World War I, farmers removed the native prairie grasses for crop cultivation, which led to the depletion of topsoil. Furthermore, the extensive use of dry farming techniques and overgrazing by cattle exacerbated the degradation of the soil.
This environmental mismanagement coincided with an extended drought, which began in 1931 and persisted for several years. The drought turned the soil into dust and with no vegetation to hold the topsoil in place, intense dust storms, also known as "black blizzards," began to occur frequently. These storms stripped away the topsoil, blowing away an estimated 850 million tons in 1935 alone. The loss of topsoil devastated agricultural productivity, led to the ecological upheaval known as the Dust Bowl, and created dire economic conditions for farmers across the region.
The ecological balance of the Plains was disrupted due to the absence of natural vegetation with deep roots that had previously prevented erosion during droughts. Thus, the land became increasingly susceptible to wind erosion, resulting in the calamitous dust storms that defined the Dust Bowl era.