Langlois J. auteur aut IRD Fréon Pierre auteur aut IRD Steyer J. P. auteur aut IRD Delgenes J. P. auteur aut IRD Helias A. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access The impact of human activities on marine environments is poorly addressed by the scope of life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). The aim of this study is to provide characterization factors to assess impacts of sea use such as fishing activities or seafloor destruction and transformation on the life support functions of marine ecosystems. The consensual framework of land use for ecosystem services damage potential assessment was applied, according to the recent United Nations Environment Programme-Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP-SETAC) guidelines, using the free net primary production as a quality index of life support functions. The impact of shading, biomass removal, seafloor destruction, and artificial habitat creation on the available quantity of organic biomass for the ecosystem functioning was quantified at the midpoint level with a common unit (kg of organic carbon equivalent). It included effects of human interventions on both the ecosystem production potential and the stock of biomass present within the ecosystem. Characterization factors (CF) for biomass removal vary from 0.1 kg(Ceq) kg(-1) for seaweed to 111.1 kg(Ceq) kg(-1) for tunas, bonitos, and billfishes. CF for seafloor destruction range from 0.164 kg(Ceq) m(-2) for a temperate seagrass ecosystem to 0.342 kg(Ceq) m(-2) for an intertidal tropical rocky habitat. This study provides an operational method in order to compute sea use impact assessment. specialized Ecosystem services Free net primary production Life cycle impact assessment Life support functions Marine ecosystem Sea use 036 040 021 020 098 20 7 970-981 2015 0948-3349 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010064721 10.1007/s11367-015-0886-7 0948-3349 [F B010064721] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010064721 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2015/07/010064721.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2015-07-29 2017-08-23 fdi:010064721 fre