Carbon cycle research after Kyoto

Recent progress in research of the global carbon cycle is reviewed and rese arch needs for the immediate future are discussed, in light of the challeng e posed to society to come to grips with the problem of man-made climate ch ange. The carbon cycle in the oceans and on the land is reviewed, and how t he atmosphere functions to couple them together. Major uncertainties still exist for any projection of the future atmospheric burden of carbon dioxide resulting from postulated emission scenarios of CO2. We present some ideas on how future policies designed to limit emissions or to sequester carbon can possibly be supported by scientific evidence of their effectiveness.