The Issue
The carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere has increased by nearly 30 percent since the industrial revolution and many scientists believe that, as a result, the earth's climate is already warmer and more prone to extreme events. Could terrestrial ecosystems slow down the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the rate of climate change? Eight hundred of the world's leading environmental scientists will address this and other questions at a meeting sponsored by GCTE/LUCC in Barcelona, Spain, on March 14-18, 1998.
The Science
Practical Information
On March 16, Session 1 and 3 will address various topics related to carbon fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems and their capacity for long term carbon storage. In addition, a plenary session will be devoted to this topic ("The Nature of Earth: Source or Sink for Carbon") on March 18 at 9.20, and various ad hoc meetings throughout the Conference will address the use of carbon and oxygen isotopes, FACE experiments, and modeling to study carbon fluxes and its controls under global change. Many posters on this topic will be exhibited during the poster sessions of March 16 and 17, and oral posters will be presented during March 16 in the afternoon.
Contact: Press Officer GCTE/LUCC Conference: Anne Larigauderie
Université Paris-Sud, Ecologie des Populations et Communautes, Bat. 362,
F-91405 Orsay Cedex, France
Phone/Fax: +33 1 69 15 56 92/6
E-mail: anne.larigauderie@epc.u-psud.fr
Conference Secretatiat, Barcelona, Spain:
Tel: +34 3 233 2387 FAX: +34 3 233 2575