Causes Document, JA

Causes

There are a number of causes of ocean acidification. The primary cause is the direct absorption of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) into ocean water. CO₂ emissions are mostly manmade. Fossil fuel consumption added 5637.9 teragrams of CO₂ to the atmosphere in 2006.  Although steel, iron, and cement industries add hundreds of teragrams per year, burning fossil fuels is the number one cause. When CO₂ is in the air, water can absorb it. Through chemical processes, carbonic acid is formed which increases the acidity of the ocean. With fossil fuel usage increasing every year, the acidification will only get worse.

            Acid rain is a secondary cause of ocean acidification. Burning fossil fuels, farming, and raising livestock create sulfur dioxide, ammonia, and nitrogen oxide. These gases rise into the atmosphere and then return to Earth in precipitation, forming nitric and sulfuric acid. This is called acid rain. The rain falls on land and in the ocean. Acid rain mainly affects coastal water areas, where tourism is centered and people live. Acid rain that falls on land can work its way into other bodies of water, such as rivers and streams, and flow into the ocean.

            Deforestation is another secondary cause of ocean acidification that is linked to CO₂ production. Trees and other plants use CO₂ in photosynthesis to live and produce oxygen.  The removal of CO₂ by agriculture and forestry is called carbon sequestration. Deforestation decreases the amount of trees that can remove CO_2­, thereby increasing CO₂ content. A single acre of trees can remove 4 tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere per year. This may not seem like a lot, but a large, undisturbed forest with thousands of acres can have a noticeable effect.