Wind erosion is worse in arid, semiarid, and other regions of the world known as drylands. Areas most susceptible to wind erosion of agricultural land include much of North Africa and the Near East; parts of southern, central, and eastern Asia; the Siberian Plains; Australia; northwest China; southern South America; and North America.

In the 1930s, a prolonged dry spell in the Southern United States caused crops and plants to die off. This, along with poor farming practices, led to destructive dust storms and severe soil erosion. The black blizzards of the resulting Dust Bowl inflicted great hardship on the people and the land. Nearly 80 years after the Dust Bowl ended, wind erosion continues to threaten the sustainability of our nations' natural resources.