so even small increases in rainfall amount or intensity can result in dramatically increased rates of soil loss, especially if rainfall occurs on unprotected soil surfaces resulting from land usechangeor fire(Nearingetal.,2005).Climate change could lead to a temporal shift in both the vegetation cover and the rainfall pattern. If this leads to heavier rainfall on lessprotected soils (bare soils due to human activity, such as tillage, or due to a shift in the vegetation cycle), large increases in erosion rates are to be expected. Conversely, if rainfall tends to occur during periods of greater soil protection due to vegetation, lower soil erosion will happen. Indirect effects result from the effects of increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations on crop growth and d more dramatically d from climate-driven changes in land use. Increased carbon dioxide has a fertilizing effect on many crops. However, increases in rainfall during the vulnerable period of early