diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index ae9a76b92..8104cabd3 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-8.0.0
+8.1.0
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 1ff46dd30..93d9348d5 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # Guess values for system-dependent variables and create Makefiles.
-# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71 for Specfem 2D 8.0.0.
+# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71 for Specfem 2D 8.1.0.
 #
 # Report bugs to <see the wiki>.
 #
@@ -609,8 +609,8 @@ MAKEFLAGS=
 # Identity of this package.
 PACKAGE_NAME='Specfem 2D'
 PACKAGE_TARNAME='Specfem2D'
-PACKAGE_VERSION='8.0.0'
-PACKAGE_STRING='Specfem 2D 8.0.0'
+PACKAGE_VERSION='8.1.0'
+PACKAGE_STRING='Specfem 2D 8.1.0'
 PACKAGE_BUGREPORT='see the wiki'
 PACKAGE_URL=''
 
@@ -1382,7 +1382,7 @@ if test "$ac_init_help" = "long"; then
   # Omit some internal or obsolete options to make the list less imposing.
   # This message is too long to be a string in the A/UX 3.1 sh.
   cat <<_ACEOF
-\`configure' configures Specfem 2D 8.0.0 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
+\`configure' configures Specfem 2D 8.1.0 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
 
 Usage: $0 [OPTION]... [VAR=VALUE]...
 
@@ -1448,7 +1448,7 @@ fi
 
 if test -n "$ac_init_help"; then
   case $ac_init_help in
-     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of Specfem 2D 8.0.0:";;
+     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of Specfem 2D 8.1.0:";;
    esac
   cat <<\_ACEOF
 
@@ -1585,7 +1585,7 @@ fi
 test -n "$ac_init_help" && exit $ac_status
 if $ac_init_version; then
   cat <<\_ACEOF
-Specfem 2D configure 8.0.0
+Specfem 2D configure 8.1.0
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71
 
 Copyright (C) 2021 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@@ -1975,7 +1975,7 @@ cat >config.log <<_ACEOF
 This file contains any messages produced by compilers while
 running configure, to aid debugging if configure makes a mistake.
 
-It was created by Specfem 2D $as_me 8.0.0, which was
+It was created by Specfem 2D $as_me 8.1.0, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71.  Invocation command line was
 
   $ $0$ac_configure_args_raw
@@ -9379,7 +9379,7 @@ cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 # report actual input values of CONFIG_FILES etc. instead of their
 # values after options handling.
 ac_log="
-This file was extended by Specfem 2D $as_me 8.0.0, which was
+This file was extended by Specfem 2D $as_me 8.1.0, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71.  Invocation command line was
 
   CONFIG_FILES    = $CONFIG_FILES
@@ -9447,7 +9447,7 @@ ac_cs_config_escaped=`printf "%s\n" "$ac_cs_config" | sed "s/^ //; s/'/'\\\\\\\\
 cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 ac_cs_config='$ac_cs_config_escaped'
 ac_cs_version="\\
-Specfem 2D config.status 8.0.0
+Specfem 2D config.status 8.1.0
 configured by $0, generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71,
   with options \\"\$ac_cs_config\\"
 
diff --git a/doc/USER_MANUAL/authors.tex b/doc/USER_MANUAL/authors.tex
index 2f414a10f..23296d42d 100644
--- a/doc/USER_MANUAL/authors.tex
+++ b/doc/USER_MANUAL/authors.tex
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ \section*{Authors}
 Bryant Chow,
 Paul Cristini,
 Rene Gassmoeller,
+Hom Nath Gharti,
 Michael Gineste,
 Felix Halpaap,
 Dimitri Komatitsch,
diff --git a/doc/USER_MANUAL/copyright_and_version.tex b/doc/USER_MANUAL/copyright_and_version.tex
index 441ece9d0..fbd23732f 100644
--- a/doc/USER_MANUAL/copyright_and_version.tex
+++ b/doc/USER_MANUAL/copyright_and_version.tex
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ \chapter*{Copyright}
 \noindent
 \textbf{\underline{Evolution of the code:}}\newline
 
+version 8.1, Hom Nath Gharti, Daniel Peter, Eduardo Valero Cano, December 2023:\newline
+adds support for Q values in tomographic models;
+updates GPU support, OpenMP and test workflows;
+various code updates and improvements (noise simulations)\newline
+
 version 8.0, Etienne Bachmann, Alexis Bottero, Bryant Chow, Paul Cristini, Rene Gassmoeller, Michael Gineste,
 Felix Halpaap, Dimitri Komatitsch, Matthieu Lefebvre, Qiancheng Liu, Qinya Liu, Zhaolun Liu,
 David Luet, Ryan Modrak, Christina Morency, Daniel Peter, Eric Rosenkrantz, Herurisa Rusmanugroho,
diff --git a/doc/USER_MANUAL/manual_SPECFEM2D.pdf b/doc/USER_MANUAL/manual_SPECFEM2D.pdf
index 241db5f3d..bcd5cf572 100644
Binary files a/doc/USER_MANUAL/manual_SPECFEM2D.pdf and b/doc/USER_MANUAL/manual_SPECFEM2D.pdf differ
diff --git a/doc/USER_MANUAL/manual_SPECFEM2D.tex b/doc/USER_MANUAL/manual_SPECFEM2D.tex
index 8acd280ab..e26ce7a63 100644
--- a/doc/USER_MANUAL/manual_SPECFEM2D.tex
+++ b/doc/USER_MANUAL/manual_SPECFEM2D.tex
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@
 \textbf{User Manual}}
 
 \author{\copyright\ CNRS (France) and Princeton University (USA)\\
-Version 8.0
+Version 8.1
 }
 
 % date of last edit
diff --git a/src/specfem2D/specfem2D.F90 b/src/specfem2D/specfem2D.F90
index afe3a509d..4d2a0a9b3 100644
--- a/src/specfem2D/specfem2D.F90
+++ b/src/specfem2D/specfem2D.F90
@@ -273,6 +273,11 @@
 ! Evolution of the code:
 ! ---------------------
 !
+! version 8.1, Hom Nath Gharti, Daniel Peter, Eduardo Valero Cano, December 2023:
+!               - adds support for Q values in tomographic models
+!               - updates GPU support, OpenMP and test workflows
+!               - various code updates and improvements (noise simulations)
+!
 ! version 8.0, Etienne Bachmann, Alexis Bottero, Bryant Chow, Paul Cristini, Rene Gassmoeller, Michael Gineste,
 !              Felix Halpaap, Dimitri Komatitsch, Matthieu Lefebvre, Qiancheng Liu, Qinya Liu, Zhaolun Liu,
 !              David Luet, Ryan Modrak, Christina Morency, Daniel Peter, Eric Rosenkrantz, Herurisa Rusmanugroho,