Here you can find a list of the submitted session proposals for the ICOS Science Conference 2026. If you are interested in becoming a co-convener of a session listed here and if the convener has provided their contact information, you are welcome to contact them directly to suggest cooperation in that session. If you wish to make changes to your submitted session, please get in touch with the organising team at conference@icos-ri.eu. If you wish to submit a new session proposal, you can do so here.
Please note that the conference can only facilitate a limited number of sessions. Thus, the organisers reserve the right to select, combine or merge similar sessions into larger themes when seen fit. Submissions will be considered on their scientific merits and the significance of their respective themes. If accepted, they will be incorporated into the final conference programme
Towards Sustainable Agriculture: Measurements, Models and Management
Submission #15, submitted by Patrik Vestin, Lund University, patrik.vestin@nateko.lu.se
Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but also holds potential for climate mitigation through sustainable land use and carbon sequestration. Understanding the drivers and dynamics of these emissions is essential for assessing agriculture’s role in the climate system. Additionally, the introduction of novel and stress-tolerant crops, including perennial grains, drought-resistant cultivars and bioenergy species can potentially reduce environmental impacts and increase system resilience and food security. As climate change impacts intensify, there is a growing need for robust scientific approaches to quantify and model agricultural emissions across spatial and temporal scales.
The session aims to foster interdisciplinary exchange among researchers working on agricultural GHG measurements, modelling of climate impacts, remote sensing, innovative cropping systems and land-use strategies to advance understanding and inform mitigation strategies for a more sustainable agriculture.
We welcome contributions focused on i) quantifying GHG emissions from agricultural systems using field-based observational and experimental methods, ii) modelling frameworks that access agricultural climate impacts and mitigation scenarios, iii) integrating multi-scale data for regional and global assessments and v) exploring novel cropping systems and land-use strategies that influence climate-agriculture interactions.
Remote sensing and flux measurements for advancing science on resilience and nature-based climate solutions
Submission #14, submitted by Torbern Tagesson, Lund University, torbern.tagesson@nateko.lu.se
Advancing science on resilience and nature-based climate solutions requires cross-scale evidence on carbon–water–energy exchanges and their responses to land use and extreme weather events. This session aligns with the ICOS 2026 theme “Science, Data, Services: Together for Climate Action” by uniting satellite remote sensing with ICOS/FLUXNET eddy-covariance networks. We invite contributions that fuse remote-sensing data such as solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), land-surface temperature (LST), LiDAR, microwave and imaging spectroscopy with in situ greenhouse-gas fluxes to (i) quantify ecosystem resilience and stability (e.g., resistance, recovery, persistence), (ii) detect and attribute variability during droughts, heatwaves, storms and fires, and (iii) evaluate and verify nature-based climate solutions (e.g., restoration, rewilding, peatland/wetland management, agroforestry) through robust monitoring, reporting and verification. Submissions may include calibration/validation at ICOS/FLUXNET sites, model–data integration, and operational climate-service applications and policy links (e.g., inventories and carbon dioxide removal certification). We particularly welcome case studies leveraging ICOS elaborated products and near-real-time data, joint analyses with ESA/Copernicus missions, and methods transferable to regions with limited observational coverage. The session aims to build shared protocols and actionable indicators that translate observations into trustworthy services for climate action.
Climate feedbacks from ecosystem management and natural disturbances
Submission #13, submitted by Mana Gharun, University of Münster, mana.gharun@uni-muenster.de
Ecosystem management decisions — through agricultural and forestry practices, conservation, or restoration — along with natural disturbances such as wildfires, windthrow, floods, droughts, or heatwaves, strongly influence the physical, chemical, and biological functioning of ecosystems. These processes alter key carbon, nitrogen, water, and energy fluxes, thereby modifying greenhouse gas exchange and feedbacks between ecosystems and the climate system.
This session welcomes contributions that use field observations, experimental data, modelling, or remote sensing at various scales to quantify the effects of management practices and/or natural disturbances on ecosystem–atmosphere exchanges of energy and matter. We particularly encourage studies that integrate carbon, nitrogen, water, and energy fluxes to elucidate how management and disturbance shape the climate feedbacks of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Using sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence to understand or scale EC fluxes
Submission #12, submitted by Simon De Canniere, university of antwerp, simon.decanniere@uantwerpen.be
Sun-Induced Chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is an electromagnetic signal linked to the activity of the photosystems, which are driving the light reactions of photosynthesis. SIF can be measured at the scale of leaf, canopy, landscape or biome with in-situ, airborne or spaceborne sensors. Eddy Covariance (EC) is a complementary technique that measures CO2 exchange by an ecosystem, thereby calculating the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) at the scale of a landscape. Combining SIF and EC provides two opportunities. First, as SIF's sensitivity to photosynthesis is rooted in the light reactions, while EC is rooted in the Calvin cycle activity. A combination of these two measurements provides a more complete image on plot photosynthesis. Second, SIF can be retrieved at large spatial scales allowing us to improve our understanding of the global carbon cycle. In this session, we invite speakers to present their work on either of these subjects, as well as on adjacent subjects including sensor advancements, stress monitoring, photosynthesis modelling, etc.
Unlocking Climate Research Solutions Through Co-Design
Submission #11, submitted by Mariana Salgado, mariana.salgado@icos-ri.eu
Why do some tools hinder research, web applications confuse users, or communications fail to engage communities? Often, it is the absence of user-informed insights, through the whole development process also known as co-design.
This session explores how co-design helps define, test, and develop climate services and tools by integrating user needs throughout the process. Co-design fosters collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders, ensuring that services align with real-world demands and support effective climate action and policy.
Aligned with the theme “Climate Action Services and Climate Policy,” the session invites researchers, designers, and developers to share case studies, insights, and lessons from co-design experiences. Projects in early stages seeking feedback are also welcome. Participants will learn to recognize when co-design is missing and how to involve stakeholders to create more usable, impactful outcomes.
If you’re involving users in the development and refinement of your services, you are already co-designing. This session will help scientists and practitioners identify barriers that co-design can address and exchange practical approaches for integrating it into their work. Join us to share experiences and shape the future of climate solutions through collaborative, user-centered design.
Emerging approaches for greenhouse gas flux measurements
Submission #10, submitted by Claire Treat, Aarhus University, claire.treat@agro.au.dk
Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions can be challenging due to strong spatial and temporal heterogeneity in sources, particularly for methane emissions. Advances in instrumentation and low-cost sensor technologies are allowing new types and approaches for measurements to capture these heterogeneous sources. In this session, we welcome contributions using new techniques, such as mobile or UAV-based GHG measurement platforms. We also welcome contributions related to the use of low-cost sensors, including calibration, verification, and measurement strategies, as well as other emerging GHG flux measurement approaches.
Combining data and models to support emissions estimation and policy at local to regional scales
Submission #9
Atmospheric observations of greenhouse gases, and related tracers, provide a wealth of information on their sources and sinks. This information can be harnessed using models of atmospheric transport to gain insights into the spatial and temporal distribution of greenhouse gas emissions and removals. This session focuses on employing models, and especially atmospheric inversions, to improve estimation of greenhouse gas emissions and removals, at national and regional scales. Particular attention will be paid to studies using atmospheric observations to verify and improve national greenhouse gas inventories or to support the monitoring of emission mitigation policies.
Designing the ideal global greenhouse gas monitoring network
Submission #8, submitted by Alex Vermeulen, ICOS ERIC and Lund University, alex.vermeulen@icos-ri.eu
A global effort is needed to transfer from the current Greenhouse Gas observation network on a voluntary basis in scientific mode to an operational network based on a secure governance model. The Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W) initiative aims at setting up such a network. This requires a common set of monitoring approaches and principles applied across observing networks aiming at integration in WMO. The GHG community should define whether and how a tiered network structure can be adopted. The cost-efficient design of the observing network is needed for the implementation at WMO member countries and international community, utilizing common monitoring principles across domains. Strategies for the development of the satellite segment of the GHG observing system are well established but the surface (including over the ocean) network design needs further optimization. In this session we invite contributions from for example the modelling (e.g. TRANSCOM) and observation community for all domains on the following topics:
• Network optimization based on the results of model intercomparisons
• Network optimization based on footprint analysis
• Results of the Observing System Simulation Experiments, including benefits and impact of the optimized networks
Flux Measurements for Immediate Societal Benefits
Submission #7, submitted by George Burba, University of Nebraska, CarbonDew Community of Practice, LI-COR, gburba@unl.edu
Direct flux measurements of heat, water, greenhouse gases (GHGs), and pollutants between the earth’s surface and its atmosphere unlock fair and equitable climate solutions across natural and built environments. Innovations and markets, as well as environmental policies based on such an approach, help resolve global climate and air quality challenges and fairly reward small and big stakeholders.
This session, organized collaboratively by academic research, non-profit organisations, and industry, welcomes ideas and examples of how to utilize direct flux measurements for tangible societal benefits, such as carbon removal, agriculture and forestry, reduction of anthropogenic emissions, various nature-based climate solutions, environmental impact management, and more.
For instance, these measurements can be applied to irrigation scheduling, soil and plant treatments, GHG reduction and sequestration, global warming potential, urban heat management, satellite and model products, industrial and urban emissions, severe weather impacts, air quality management, and can be used as a diagnostic tool for meeting net-zero targets by different organizations, regulatory, policy, and government agencies.
Join us to discuss developing a global paradigm for maximum-integrity, low-latency, and economically sound earth stewardship, anchored in direct flux measurements.
Cross-Scale Responses of Greenhouse Gas Variability to Climate Extremes
Submission #6, submitted by Wenxin Zhang, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK; Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Sweden, wenxin.zhang@glasgow.ac.uk
Climate extremes, such as temperature extremes, heavy precipitation, floods, storms, and compound events, are becoming more frequent and intense under ongoing climate change. These events impose strong and often nonlinear impacts on greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes (CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O), altering carbon and nitrogen cycling from daily pulses to decadal shifts. Despite increasing evidence, our mechanistic understanding of how ecosystems respond to extremes remains limited, creating substantial uncertainties in predicting biosphere–atmosphere feedbacks.
This session invites contributions that explore GHG variability during and after extreme events across a wide range of ecosystems, including tundra, forests, wetlands, grasslands, croplands, and aquatic environments. We particularly welcome studies employing diverse approaches such as in situ measurements (eddy covariance, chambers, isotopes), experimental manipulations, process-based and Earth system models, and satellite or airborne remote sensing datasets. Integrative research that combines observations and models to disentangle drivers, quantify legacy effects, and upscale local processes to regional or global scales is especially encouraged.
By bringing together observational, experimental, and modelling perspectives, this session aims to identify emerging patterns in GHG responses to extremes, highlight methodological advances across scales, and define critical knowledge gaps. Our goal is to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations and improve future predictions of GHG exchange.
Remote sensing of atmospheric greenhouse gases for climate action
Submission #5, submitted by Mahesh Kumar Sha, Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), mahesh.sha@aeronomie.be
Greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring is carried out using in-situ and remote sensing techniques. While in-situ monitoring is performed by sampling the air either at the Earth’s surface or using airborne platforms to obtain profile information, remote sensing techniques provide complementary information on the total and/or partial columns of the atmosphere. Ground- and satellite-based instruments can retrieve column concentrations of GHGs from the Earth’s surface to the top of the atmosphere. The ground-based remote sensing networks TCCON, NDACC-IRWG and COCCON provide Fiducial Reference Measurements of GHGs used for satellite and model validation studies. Satellites are also continuously improving, both in terms of their observational capabilities and in reducing the uncertainties of the derived products: starting from global GHG Mappers like SCIAMACHY (2002), .. Sentinel-5 Precursor (2017), .. MicroCarb, Sentinel-5 (2025) and upcoming missions such as CO2M, MERLIN. Since 2016, there are also small satellites called Facility Scale Plume Monitors contributing to the quantification of GHG emissions from space.
We invite submissions on new atmospheric remote sensing techniques or sensors, innovative measurement methods, innovative scientific applications; and validation techniques for the evaluation of satellite and model data that are critical for building up monitoring and verification support (MVS) capacity and climate action.