Towards a meaningful assessment of marine ecological impacts in life cycle assessment (LCA)

Environment International
John S WoodsEdgar G Hertwich

Abstract

Human demands on marine resources and space are currently unprecedented and concerns are rising over observed declines in marine biodiversity. A quantitative understanding of the impact of industrial activities on the marine environment is thus essential. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely applied method for quantifying the environmental impact of products and processes. LCA was originally developed to assess the impacts of land-based industries on mainly terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. As such, impact indicators for major drivers of marine biodiversity loss are currently lacking. We review quantitative approaches for cause-effect assessment of seven major drivers of marine biodiversity loss: climate change, ocean acidification, eutrophication-induced hypoxia, seabed damage, overexploitation of biotic resources, invasive species and marine plastic debris. Our review shows that impact indicators can be developed for all identified drivers, albeit at different levels of coverage of cause-effect pathways and variable levels of uncertainty and spatial coverage. Modeling approaches to predict the spatial distribution and intensity of human-driven interventions in the marine environment are relatively well-established and...Continue Reading

References

Apr 14, 1967·Science·G N Somero, A L DeVries
Mar 14, 2001·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·C S. Kolar, D M. Lodge
Jun 1, 2002·Science·Grégory BeaugrandMartin Edwards
Aug 9, 2002·Nature·Daniel PaulyDirk Zeller
Oct 26, 2002·Marine Pollution Bulletin·Rudolf S S Wu
Sep 26, 2003·Nature·Ken Caldeira, Michael E Wickett
Jul 17, 2004·Science·Richard A FeelyFrank J Millero
May 14, 2005·Science·Allison L PerryJohn D Reynolds
Jul 25, 2006·Marine Pollution Bulletin·Hyun-Sig LimLinda C Schaffner
Jan 9, 2007·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·David M LodgeAnthony McMichael
Dec 15, 2007·Science·O Hoegh-GuldbergM E Hatziolos
Feb 16, 2008·Science·Benjamin S HalpernReg Watson
Mar 1, 2008·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Michael R HeithausBoris Worm
Mar 13, 2008·Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry·Mathijs G D SmitA Jan Hendriks
Apr 1, 2008·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·Simon F ThrushAndrew M Lohrer
Apr 19, 2008·Science·Victoria J Fabry
May 8, 2008·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Hannah L WoodStephen Widdicombe
Jun 7, 2008·Science·Anthony J Richardson, Elvira S Poloczanska
Jun 21, 2008·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·John M Guinotte, Victoria J Fabry
Jul 5, 2008·Science·Richard E ZeebeToby Tyrrell
Aug 16, 2008·Science·Robert J Diaz, Rutger Rosenberg
Oct 1, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Raquel Vaquer-Sunyer, Carlos M Duarte
Dec 26, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Michele CasiniGeorgs Kornilovs
May 13, 2009·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·Caitlin M CrainCarrie V Kappel
Jun 17, 2009·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Murray R Gregory
Jun 17, 2009·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Emma L TeutenHideshige Takada
Jun 17, 2009·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Richard C ThompsonShanna H Swan
Jan 23, 2010·The Science of the Total Environment·T S BianchiM A Allison
Jun 19, 2010·Science·Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, John F Bruno
Aug 7, 2010·PloS One·Mark John CostelloPatricia Miloslavich
Sep 4, 2010·Environmental Science & Technology·Jeroen B GuinéeTomas Rydberg
Nov 5, 2010·Environmental Science & Technology·Michael CurranMark A J Huijbregts
Jan 1, 2009·Annual Review of Marine Science·Scott C DoneyJoan A Kleypas
Dec 15, 2010·Annual Review of Marine Science·Ralph E KeelingNicolas Gruber
Mar 24, 2011·Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy·UNKNOWN Drug Enforcement Adminstration U S Department of Justice
Mar 25, 2011·American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology·George N Somero
Apr 1, 2011·Environmental Science & Technology·Mark A J HuijbregtsEdgar Hertwich
Apr 20, 2011·Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences·Nicolas Gruber
May 13, 2011·Marine Pollution Bulletin·Keita Kodama, Toshihiro Horiguchi
May 24, 2011·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Tim M BlackburnDavid M Richardson
Jun 1, 2011·PloS One·Kristin KaschnerBoris Worm

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Sep 29, 2017·Foods·Isabel G M Richter, Christian A Klöckner
Jul 26, 2018·Environmental Management·Henry Bokuniewicz, Sung Gheel Jang
Dec 29, 2020·The Science of the Total Environment·Israel Ruiz-SalmónRubén Aldaco
Oct 13, 2018·The Science of the Total Environment·John S Woods, Francesca Verones
Jul 24, 2018·Environmental Science & Technology·Ben MorelliJane C Bare

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Candidiasis

Candidiasis is a common fungal infection caused by Candida and it can affect many parts for the body including mucosal membranes as well as the gastrointestinal, urinary, and respiratory tracts. Here is the latest research.

Biodiversity Data

Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is typically a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level.Discover the latest research on biodiversity data here.

Candidiasis (ASM)

Candidiasis is a common fungal infection caused by Candida and it can affect many parts for the body including mucosal membranes as well as the gastrointestinal, urinary, and respiratory tracts. Here is the latest research.

Candida albicans

Candida albicans is an opportunistic, fungal pathogen of humans that frequently causes superficial infections of oral and vaginal mucosal surfaces of debilitated and susceptible individuals. Discover the latest research on Candida albicans here.