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a spatially differentiated life cycle impact assessment method
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Ecosystem Quality

Acidification

Ecosystem Quality

Acidification

LC-IMPACT 2.0 covers acidification impacts for both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, linking emissions to biodiversity damage. Terrestrial acidification is for key acidifying air pollutants NOx, SOx, NH3. The impact pathway connects emissions to atmospheric transport, chemical transformation, deposition, soil pH decline, and loss of vascular plant species. Spatial differentiation is essential, as ecosystem sensitivity varies with soil properties and deposition patterns. Characterization factors account for emissions from one country affecting multiple receiving ecoregions worldwide. Marine (ocean) acidification is quantified for CO2, CO, and CH4. The pathway links greenhouse gas emissions to atmospheric CO₂ increases, ocean uptake, carbonate chemistry changes, and biodiversity impacts driven by declining pH and carbonate availability. Fate factors describe changes in ocean CO2 pressure, fate sensitivity factors link these changes to pH shifts, and effect factors translate pH reductions into species loss. Spatially explicit factors capture differences in ecosystem vulnerability, with polar regions typically more sensitive.

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