Date: 21-26 March 2010

Place: Conference Center of ETH Zurich at Monte Vertia in Ascona, Switzerland

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Stable Isotopes and Biogeochemical Cycles in Terrestrial Ecosystems: Coupling Plant and Soil Processes Across Spatial and Temporal Scales

This conference aims to bring together an interdisciplinary group of scientists applying stable isotopes of C, O, H, and N, as well as radiocarbon for tracing fluxes of carbon, water and nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems, unravelling plant and soil interactions, including species effects, and their coupling at various temporal and spatial scales.
The conference will synthesize the most recent insights and elaborate on the forthcoming challenges for an improved understanding of plant – soil interactions in relation to biogeochemical cycles and will consolidate experimental and modelling approaches. The conference thus aims to contribute to an improved understanding of biogeochemical cycles in a changing environment and their direct and indirect feedbacks on the climate system. Recent developments in stable isotope technologies, i.e. laser spectroscopy and compound-specific mass spectrometry created a unique opportunity to study plant – soil interactions, e.g. online measurements during pulse-labelling experiments. The conference is a place to summarize these recent developments and to identify emerging issues and the potential for synergistic activities across the isotope research community.

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