Why were the results whit just water so much different than the trials with the detergent ?

i'm thinking (a) to keep sand in place; ////////////

explanation: a sand fence or sandbreak, like a snow fence, is used to force windblown, drifting sand to accumulate in a desired place. sand fences are employed to control erosion, sand dune stabilization, keep sand off roadways, and to recruit new material in desert areas.

glacial erosion, the picking up and movement of earth beneath a glacier, is also referred to as plucking. erosion and transportation of individual pieces of bedrock, especially large "joint block occur as a result of this glacial erosion. plucking is type of erosion in which rocks become frozen into the bottom and sides of the glacier.as the glacier moves downhill it 'plucks' the rocks frozen into the glacier from the ground.