Since the beginning of direct high-precision atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements on Mauna Loa and the South Pole more than 50 years ago, scientific interest into the study of the global carbon cycle and its perturbations by man and climate has increased almost exponentially. The recognition by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of carbon dioxide as a major driver behind the current and future warming of the world climate and the subsequent establishment of international initiatives to curb carbon dioxide emissions, such as the Kyoto protocol, has further greatly intensified global carbon cycle research. Since 1981 the worldwide scientific community meets every four years at an international conference for an exchange of the latest knowledge and to gain a better understanding on the multitude of interdisciplinary aspects of the global carbon cycle. After the previous conferences held in Bern, Switzerland (1981), Kandersteg, Switzerland (1985), Hinterzarten, Germany (1989), Carqueiranne, France (1993), Cairns, Australia (1997), Sendai, Japan (2001), Broomfield, USA (2005), the 8^th International Carbon Dioxide Conference will take place in Jena, Germany, September 13-19, 2009.

The format of the conference will consist of a main line of invited and selected plenary presentations covering all fields of global carbon cycle research. Several extended poster sessions and a few parallel sessions on specific topics will complement the plenary. Participants will be asked to submit an extended abstract, which will be compiled into an electronic abstract volume prior to the conference and made available to all participants. Proceedings will be published as refereed papers in a special volume of Tellus after the conference.
 

Participation by newcomers and young scientists from all over the world is especially encouraged.