Introduction
The concentration of Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has been increasing over the years due to human behavior and actions. For instance, ever since the start of the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, the emission of CO2 has been on the rise (Heather, Keeling, and Rogelj 170). On the other hand, the pH of surface ocean water has declined by 0.1 pH units for the same period (Heather, Keeling, and Rogelj 172). It is important to note that this change alone represents about a 30 percent increase in acidity (Heather, Keeling, and Rogelj 172). It therefore follows that human behavior such as the burning of fossil fuels, changing land use through deforestation, and agriculture impacts oceans by increasing carbon dioxide in the ocean, thus causing ocean acidification.
Background
The ocean and the atmosphere are indirectly linked through a complex process. According to Stéphane, and Duan the ocean-atmosphere system is responsible for the earth’s weather and climate (118). The ocean plays an important role in regulating the temperature in the lower part of the atmosphere. The atmosphere, on the other hand, is responsible for the circulation of ocean water through waves and currents (Stéphane, and Duan 119). Therefore, the ocean has the capacity to absorb up to 30 percent of all the CO2 that gets released into the atmosphere (Heather, Keeling, and Rogelj 172). Since the two are linked, an increase in the level of atmospheric CO2 due to human behavior such as the burning of fossil fuel and deforestation leads to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean. Heather, Keeling, and Rogelj explained in their research the process of converting CO2 into acidity (180). Once absorbed into the ocean “a series of chemical reactions occur resulting in the increased concentration of hydrogen ions” (Heather, Keeling, and Rogelj 181). This, in turn, decreases the pH – the average pH of the ocean is approximately 8.1 which is alkaline (182). However, as the ocean continues to absorb more carbon dioxide, pH tends to decrease followed by an increase in acidity – ocean acidification.
Human Behavior
Burning of Fossil Fuel
For the purpose of this research paper, the burning of fossil fuel encompasses the burning of oil, natural gas, and coal with the intention of generating energy. This energy, as elucidated by Siddik et al., is used extensively in generating electricity and industrial processes as well as in power transportation including cars and airplanes (119). The burning of fossil has been increasing steadily ever since the invention of the first coal-fired steam engines back in the 1700s (Siddik et al. 120). Currently, the global burning of coal is estimated to be 4000 times the initial amount burnt in the 1770s (Siddik et al. 120). The carbon dioxide released by these fuels has far-reaching negative effects not only on humans but also on animals and the ocean.
It is important to note that the burial of photosynthetic organisms on land and the plankton in the oceans are considered the largest sources of fossil fuel. More specifically, photosynthetic organisms form coal while plankton produces oil and natural gas. According to Siddik et al., the accumulation of these sources saw the removal of carbon dioxide both from the atmosphere and in the ocean, thus helping balance the carbon cycle (125). The burning of these fossil materials as further argued by Matthew, “returns this carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, at a rate that is hundreds to thousands of times faster than it took to bury” (930). In essence, the CO2 that results from these fuels tends to accumulate in the atmosphere while some get absorbed in the water causing ocean acidification.
Changing Land Use through Deforestation
The last decade is often cited as a period that led to the largest deforestation across the humid tropics. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that about 129 million hectares of forest were lost between 1990 and 2015 – this is equivalent to the entire area of South Africa (Gatti et al. 388). In addition to this, a total of 10 million hectares were destroyed every year – this is a decline of 25 percent compared to the one witnessed in 1990 and 2015 (Gatti et al. 389). The findings further indicated that tropical deforestation accounts for 20 percent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions (Gatti et al. 388). From 2000 to 2010, about 40 percent of the tropical deforestation occurred. In the U.S. alone, cities lose an average of 36 million trees every year (Gatti et al. 388). The country further lost approximately 973000 square miles of forest between 2001 and 2019 (Gatti et al. 388). Lastly, 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed since 1970 (Gatti et al. 388). This is a clear indication that deforestation is a major contributor to high CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.
Deforestation resulting from human behavior contributes largely to the emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. According to research carbon emissions from tropical deforestation are higher in the 21st century compared to previous decades (Ritika 578). Based on the figures released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, deforestation contributes to about 10 percent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Ritika 578). Similarly, tropical forests today emit more carbon dioxide than they capture as a result of deforestation and degradation. In other words, they are no longer a “carbon sink” as previously thought (Ritika 578). From a historical point of view, CO2 levels have been balanced – the same amounts of CO2 that get produced in turn get absorbed. This is no longer possible with the continued cutting down of trees which increases the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with 30 percent getting absorbed by oceans.
Transportation (Shipping pollution)
Shipping pollution occurring in major trading lanes is regarded as a major contributor to the acidity of the ocean. According to Henry, Gustafsson, and Spohr, global shipping has been contributing, at a slower but steady rate, to the total emitted acidifying compounds for many years now (120). The rate tends to increase, especially where there are no emission controls. In fact, regulatory standards were introduced just recently to help set limits on ship emissions – they are expected to take full effect by 2025. These oxides, as discussed further in Henry, Gustafsson, and Spohr’s study “contribute to long-range pollutant transport, but significant amounts can be deposited within a few hundred nautical miles of the shipping lanes” (121). The authors examined some of the consequences associated with the release of pollutants monthly. The findings indicated that the “greatest acidification from shipping occurs in the northern hemisphere in coastal areas during the summer” (Henry, Gustafsson, and Spohr 123). As a matter of fact, most of the acidification takes place in open-ocean regions characterized by busy shipping lanes
In line with the above, the ever-increasing emissions in the North Atlantic areas in North America and Europe informed the adoption of controls on sulfur content in marine fuel. This regulation became effective in the year 2014. It was expected that the “maximum sulfur content in some of these areas will be reduced from 1 percent to 0.1 percent” (Armin et al. 145). At the global level, the team anticipated a drop of 80 percent from the current average of 2.5 percent (Armin et al.146). The adoption of these controls is a clear indication that the shipping population was contributing a lot to ocean acidification.
Agriculture
The agricultural sector also contributes significantly to the ocean acidification. This is the case because it is one of the main sources of CO2 emissions. However, most of these emissions occur indirectly through continuous acidification of specific water catchment areas and through nutrient release from fertilizers to the oceans. The over-reliance on reactive nitrogen in the manufacturing process of fertilizers for agriculture often leads to the development of the Anthropocene. This is defined as the “nitrate inputs to coastal waters stimulate algal growth, which lowers dissolved oxygen levels as it rots” (Endre et al. 64). The CO2 resulting from the microbial contributes to the current increase in acidity.
Conclusion
As evidenced in the discussion above, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has been increasing over the years due to human behavior and actions. These actions include burning fossil fuels, changing land use through deforestation, and agriculture. All these activities contribute to the current state of ocean acidification. For instance, the burning of fossil fuel has been on the rise ever since the invention of the first coal-fired steam engines back in the 1700s. burning of these fossils tends to return this carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, at a rate that is hundreds to thousands of times faster than it took to bury. The same is witnessed with deforestation which contributes a lot to the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere with 30 percent of it being absorbed in the ocean.
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