  Effects of electron correlation on the electronic structure and magnetic
properties of the Gd(0001) surface are investigated using of the full-potential
linearized augmented plane wave implementation of correlated band theory
("LDA+U"). The use of LDA+U instead of LDA (local density approximation) total
energy calculations produces the correct ferromagnetic ground state for both
bulk Gd and the Gd surface. Surface strain relaxation leads to an 90 %
enhancement of the interlayer surface-to-bulk effective exchange coupling.
Application of a Landau-Ginzburg type theory yields a 30 % enhancement of the
Curie temperature at the surface, in very good agreement with the experiment.
