This session traditionally provides a forum for the discussion of all aspects of solar and heliospheric physics. Popular topics have included solar cycle dependencies of the Sun, solar wind and heliosphere, Coronal Mass Ejection research, studies of energetic particles throughout the heliosphere, and the outer boundaries of the heliosphere. We encourage contributions related to all ongoing and planned space missions, to ground-based experiments and to theoretical research. Papers presenting ideas for future space missions and experiments are very welcome in this session. The session will consist of both oral and poster presentations.

The “Theory and Simulation of Solar System Plasmas” session solicits presentations of the latest results from theoretical investigations and numerical simulations in space plasma-physics from microscopic to global scales, in comparison with experiments and observations in the heliosphere: at the Sun, in the solar corona, in interplanetary space and in planetary magnetospheres. Each year a topic of special interest is chosen as a focus of the session. For 2019 this focus will be on the sun. Of particular interest is to understand plasma heating and particle acceleration processes as well as the resulting observable radiation processes. We encourage presentations of theory and modelling results directly relevant to current and forthcoming space missions, notably MMS, the Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter and Bepi Colombo

The solar wind is an uninterrupted flow of highly ionised plasma that fills interplanetary space and is crossed by strong transient perturbations such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These phenomena, in addition to corotating density structures and solar energetic particles (SEPs), drive a large range of disturbances to planetary atmospheres. Their properties and arrival times are, however, difficult to predict with reasonable accuracy. Observations from multiple vantage points, in-situ measurements from multiple positions and modelling efforts have been employed systematically to study the properties of the solar wind plasma and of CMEs, from their formation to their arrival at Earth and at planets throughout the inner heliosphere.

The recently launched Parker Solar Probe, the imminent launch of Solar Orbiter, as well as potential future missions at L1 and L5, and planetary missions that will measure the solar wind during their cruise phase (e.g. BepiColombo), will provide us with the perfect opportunity to test, validate, and refine the current knowledge of these physical phenomena and their interactions. Accordingly, the aim of this session is to showcase the latest observational and modelling efforts regarding the evolution of the solar wind and CMEs during their propagation throughout the heliosphere as seen from multiple vantage points, and to foresee future developments. Potential improvements to our current space weather forecasting capabilities will be highlighted.

The Sun’s corona is the birthplace of the solar wind, coronal mass ejections and solar energetic particles which all are fundamental drivers of space weather. The key physical processes at the origin of these phenomena (i.e., heating and acceleration of the coronal plasma) have not been clarified to date. After the successful launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission on August 12, 2018, the spacecraft will gradually reduce its distance to the Sun over the next years using seven Venus gravity assists and will reach a distance of less than 10 solar radii in 2024. Combining the PSP observations with data from the upcoming ESA Solar Orbiter mission, with remote sensing observations from SDO, STEREO and Proba2, with other in-situ data, e.g., from ACE and DSCOVR, with ground-based observations and with theoretical models will be a challenging and exciting task to help unravel unanswered science questions about the physics of the corona, solar wind and energetic particles. At times of the EGU General Assembly in early April 2019, PSP will have completed its first perihelion around the Sun end of 2018, with an unprecedented distance of 35 solar radii, and will just be beyond its 2nd perihelion. This session invites oral and poster contributions on all aspects of research addressed to the exploration of our near-Sun environment, including first observations from PSP and in preparation of the upcoming SO mission.

The majority of space plasmas are in a turbulent state, displaying fluctuations and nonlinear behaviour at a broad range of scales. A variety of these plasmas are also seen to be heated, with dissipation of turbulence as a possible explanation. Many aspects of the turbulence and heating, and their interaction with other space plasma phenomena (e.g., shocks, reconnection, and instabilities), however, remain to be fully understood. This session will address these questions through discussion of observational, theoretical, numerical, and laboratory work to understand these processes. This session is relevant to many currently operating and future missions (e.g., Wind, Cluster, MMS, STEREO, THEMIS, Van Allen Probes, DSCOVR, Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter).

Recent studies show that current sheets and magnetic islands observed in the solar wind play a significant role in local particle acceleration to keV-MeV energies, and the resulting energetic particle enhancements constitute a hazardous condition in the interplanetary and near-Earth space. Current sheets of various scales are self-organized structures that are ubiquitously formed in cosmic and laboratory plasmas owing to a change in the magnetic field direction, at strong discontinuities, and as a result of turbulence. Not surprisingly, dynamic processes occurring at current sheets and in their vicinity have a striking similarity in different plasmas. Current sheets experience magnetic reconnection that in turn leads to many subsequent nonlinear effects, triggering the development of a turbulent cascade, the formation of magnetic islands or flux ropes, and local acceleration of charged particles. These processes are observed from the corona to the outer heliosphere and may often be described by the same equations. They also can be linked physically as some of the structures originating from the corona survive and develop further in the solar wind. Meantime, these processes are usually studied by different scientific teams in independent ways.
This interdisciplinary session will bring together specialists from different plasma physics communities, bridging gaps in the understanding of the origin of coherent structures and the development of dynamical processes associated with current sheets. We invite researchers to share recent results of their theoretical studies, modelling and observations. Contributions that discuss and compare different mechanisms of local particle energization that occur in laboratory plasmas, the solar corona, magnetospheres of planets and the heliosphere are especially welcome. Furthermore, research results within the framework of the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) international team - 405 on 'Current Sheets, Turbulence, Structures and Particle Acceleration in the Heliosphere' (http://www.issibern.ch/teams/structpartaccel/index.html) will also be presented at this session.

The session should address all aspects of dust detection in space by both dedicated and non-dedicated dust detectors (i.e., electric field antennas, Faraday cups, etc.), theoretical approaches to detection mechanisms, and laboratory simulations of dust impact.

Solicited talk by Paul Kellogg (Minnesota Institute of Astrophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA) focused on the dust impacts detected by STEREO.

This open session traditionally invites presentations on all aspects of the Earth’s magnetospheric physics, including magnetosphere and its boundary layers, magnetosheath, bow shock and foreshock as well as magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. This session is suitable for any contribution which does not fit more naturally into one of the specialised sessions.

Transient solar wind phenomena and processes in the foreshock, at the bow shock, and in the magnetosheath are all drivers of significant downstream effects at the magnetopause, inside the magnetosphere, in the ionosphere, and on ground. These phenomena encompass, but are not restricted to, interplanetary magnetic field discontinuities and related hot flow anomalies or foreshock bubbles, foreshock cavities, cavitons and related spontaneous hot flow anomalies, as well as SLAMS and magnetosheath jets. The local effects of these phenomena may include severe changes in local plasma parameters, e.g., heating, compression or expansion, and deflection of plasma. Further downstream, they may be associated with significant magnetopause dynamics including magnetic reconnection, inner-magnetospheric waves and changes in the radiation belt electron populations, geomagnetic variations, ionospheric flow enhancements, particle precipitation, and auroral forms.
We invite contributions focusing on these upstream phenomena, their (downstream) effects, and the coupling between them, i.e., the transport of mass, momentum, and energy, across and between the bow shock and magnetopause boundaries, not only at Earth but also at other planets and solar system bodies. We encourage the presentation of latest results based on in-situ measurements (including the Geotail, Cluster, THEMIS/ARTEMIS, MMS, and Van Allen Probes), on ground-based observations (e.g., magnetometers, radars, riometers, and all-sky imagers), as well as on numerical simulations and theoretical modelling. Presentations of studies using any combination of the above approaches are particularly welcome.

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in space, astrophysics and laboratory plasmas, by which magnetic energy was converted into plasma energy in an explosive manner. It plays a key role for many explosive events in space, the coupling between the solar wind and the terrestrial as well as other planets’ magnetospheres, and the interaction between the solar wind and the atmosphere/ionosphere of the planets without global magnetic field. Thanks to recent spacecraft missions, e.g, Cluster, THEMIS, MMS, Maven, Cassini, MESSENGER, etc, and the development of the computing simulations, fruitful new findings have been achieved in the last several years. Furthermore, many major issues on reconnection remain. For example, How the reconnection is triggered in space, how the energy is distributed, microphysics in the electron diffusion region and the separatrix region, and so on. This session invites presentations on all of the aspects associated with magnetic reconnection from the spacecraft measurements, the simulations, laboratory experiments and the theoretical analysis.

Wave-particle interactions represent a unique mechanism of an energy transfer in the nearly collisionless plasma environment of the Earth's inner magnetosphere, affecting ultimately distribution functions of energetic particles trapped in the Van Allen radiation belts. Their evaluation, along with the quantification of the resulting particle acceleration, transport, and loss, is thus crucial for understanding the dynamics of the radiation belts. Considering that these processes are mainly driven by the solar wind, the ability to accurately forecast the radiation belts is further dependent on understanding their coupling with external regions (e.g. solar wind, foreshock, magnetosheath), and the processes that dictate their global dynamics. The aim of this session is the dynamics of energetic particle populations in the radiation belts, wave-particle interactions in the Earth's inner magnetosphere, as well as generation mechanisms and properties of involved electromagnetic emissions (EMIC, chorus, hiss, fast magnetosonic waves, etc.) in various frequency ranges (ULF, ELF, VLF). Theoretical and model contributions, as well as observational studies using data from recent satellite missions (ERG-Arase, Cluster, MMS, THEMIS, Van Allen Probes, etc.) and ground-based instruments are encouraged.

The Earth’s ionosphere is composed of dense and cold plasma that includes heavy ions such as He+ and O+. This plasma can directly escape to the magnetosphere following the Earth's magnetic field lines in the polar regions, i.e., ionospheric outflows, and forms the plasmasphere in the low and mid latitude regions. The ionosphere is therefore an important source that provides significant amounts of plasma to the magnetosphere and has a profound impact on the global magnetosphere-ionosphere dynamics. During times of increased geomagnetic activity, this plasma can dominate over the plasma entry from the solar wind. They mass-load the magnetosphere and modify its temperature, and as a consequence the global structure and properties of the plasma sheet, the reconnection processes, and the local properties of the plasma.

Tracking the ionospheric ions in the magnetosphere can also provide clues regarding the generalized ionospheric outflow process and its role in controlling the ionosphere-magnetosphere system. Therefore, knowledge of the ionospheric ion contribution to the near-Earth plasma together with their differential transport and acceleration throughout the magnetosphere system provides a unique insight into the connection between the macro-scale dynamics and micro-scale processes that govern this region.

Recent observations from numerous missions including Cluster, Van Allen Probes, THEMIS, and MMS and simulations identify the origin, transport, and loss of plasma originating in the ionosphere and transported into the plasmasphere and magnetosphere. This session welcomes presentations on all aspects of the origin, transport and effects on the magnetosphere dynamics of ionospheric plasma. Studies based on observations, theory, simulations or their combination are encouraged.

The complicated and non-linear responses of various plasma populations in the inner magnetosphere are driven by the solar wind and determined by various coupling mechanisms. The inner magnetospheric particle population is driven by the global and local electric and magnetic fields. The Ionosphere serves as a sink of energy and feeds back magnetosphere, as well as provides the source of outflow particles for refilling of the lost magnetospheric particles. Precipitating inner magnetospheric particles cause changes in the ionospheric conductivity and may affect the upper atmospheric chemistry and climate. Dynamics of the plasmasphere, ring current and radiation belts are also coupled by means of currents and fields as well as wave-particle interactions. While the dynamics of outer planets’ magnetospheres are driven by a unique combination of internal coupling processes, the latter have a number of fascinating similarities which make comparative studies particularly interesting.
We invite a broad range of theoretical, modelling, and observational studies focusing on the dynamics of the inner magnetosphere of the Earth and outer planets, including the coupling of the inner magnetosphere and ionosphere and coupling between the solar wind disturbances and various magnetospheric processes. In particular, we encourage presentations using data from MMS, THEMIS, Van Allen Probes, Arase (ERG), Juno and cube-sat missions.

Turbulence, reconnection and shocks are fundamental non-linear processes observed in solar, heliospheric, magnetospheric and laboratory plasmas. These processes are not separate, but rather appear to be interconnected. For instance, a close link exists between reconnection and turbulence. On the one hand the turbulence cascade favors the onset of magnetic reconnection between magnetic islands and, on the other hand, magnetic reconnection is able to trigger turbulence in the reconnection outflows and separatrices. Similarly, shocks may form in collisional and collisionless reconnection processes and can be responsible for turbulence formation, as for instance in the turbulent magnetosheath.

This session welcomes simulations, observational and theoretical works relevant for the study of these non-linear phenomena. Particularly welcome will be works focusing on the link between them in a range of scale going from fluid MHD to kinetic. The topic of this session is relevant for the understanding of solar atmosphere (from the photosphere to the solar wind), interaction of solar wind with planetary magnetospheres, planetary magnetospheric physics and particle acceleration and transport throughout the heliosphere. The session is also relevant to past and present space missions in plasma astrophysics such as Cluster, MMS and Parker Solar Probe.

The Earth's ionosphere embedded in the thermosphere is a coupled system influenced by solar and magnetospheric processes from above, as well as by upward propagating disturbances from below. This open session is suitable for contributions on all aspects of ionospheric physics. The session invites (multi)instrumental observation (e.g. ground-based optics and magnetometers, radio wave techniques, satellite and rocket in-situ), simulation and modelling studies that address the dynamics of the ionosphere, concerning transient events, plasma waves and irregularities, as well as large-scale dynamics and long-term variations. Contributions dealing with magnetospheric forcing are sought particularly in the areas of ionospheric phenomena caused by magnetospheric storms and substorms, current closure, the deposition of energy in its various forms, and the interaction of electromagnetic waves with the ionosphere. New results that focus on investigation of latitudinal, seasonal and hemispherical effects of the storms and substorms on ionosphere are especially appreciated. As for atmospheric forcing, contributions are sought that focus on atmospheric waves, wave-wave and wave-mean flow interactions, atmospheric electricity and electrodynamical coupling processes. New results on MLT feeding (wave penetration and secondary wave generation) of ionospheric disturbances and the solar effect on the vertical propagation conditions of the atmospheric waves are particularly welcome.

Many recent advances in aeronomy, space sciences, geomagnetism, and gravity arose from combining specific knowledge of these areas in interdisciplinary research. Current outstanding questions are, for example: What features of ionospheric currents do we discover when we understand the shape, strengths, and variation of the geomagnetic background field? What is the role of upward propagating atmospheric waves in energy and momentum transport into the ionosphere? Which ionospheric processes need to be better quantified to achieve complete knowledge of global core or crustal field variations? How does knowledge of the geometry of ionospheric and magnetospheric sources help in determining Earth’s conductivity in the geomagnetic field? How strongly do we need to consider Earth’s conductivity in quantifying ionospheric currents? How can we quantify and correct for ionospheric perturbations to achieve the best gravity field solutions? Finally, what can we learn about space sciences by studying ionospheric effects on geodetic measurements?

The session invites contributions on any of the subjects and in particular on results that benefit from interdisciplinary works in the areas of space science, geomagnetism, and gravity. Submissions are welcomed that contain analyses of global satellite or ground-based observations or modelling studies, including a combination of them.

The ionosphere-thermosphere (I-T) system is closely coupled with dynamics from above and below at various spatial and temporal scales. During magnetically disturbed periods, the enhanced energy and momentum depositions at high latitude affect the I-T system strongly at middle and low latitudes, causing different behaviors from the quiet-day climatological pattern. This session focuses on recent advances in understanding the ionospheric and thermospheric structures as well as their interactions at different spatial and temporal scales. Observational, theoretical, and modeling studies are welcome, that related to the penetration and dynamo electric fields, variations of neutral and ion compositions, neutral atmospheric waves (gravity waves, tides and planetary waves), travelling ionosphere/atmosphere disturbances (TID/TAD), as well as their influences on the generation and development of small-scale plasma irregularities. Studies of I-T coupling as well as the mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT) coupling during magnetic quiet-time are also encouraged.

This joint session invites papers that are related to the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. It addresses the topical fields of the VarSITI (Variability of the Sun and Its Terrestrial Impact) program initiated by SCOSTEP, focusing on the role of the sun and the middle atmosphere/thermosphere/ionosphere in climate (ROSMIC). Contributions studying radiation, chemistry, energy balance, atmospheric tides, planetary waves, gravity waves, neutral-ion coupling, and the interaction of the various processes involved are welcome. This includes work on model data as well as measurements from satellites and ground based platforms such as ALOMAR.

The study of the ionized and neutral atmosphere reveals to be an efficient diagnostic tool to understand the interaction among the geospheres and the impact of the solar wind on the Earth. Any variation from the expected behaviour can be helpful to identify various forcing mechanisms originated from below and above. The vertical coupling in the atmosphere involves the influence of the upper atmospheric layers on climate and the response of the ionosphere to the modification of neutral atmosphere chemistry and dynamics. An exacerbation in the space weather conditions, in turn, can cause changes in the neutral composition and in the electron density structuring. In addition, natural hazards, such as tsunami, earthquakes, thunderstorms can produce atmospheric acoustic gravity waves that result in electron density perturbations in the ionosphere.
The broad availability of instruments on board satellites and hosted at ground opens new opportunities of multi-disciplinary and multi-instruments collaboration to advance the current understanding in the field.
This session welcomes observational, theoretical, and modeling contributions on atmospheric irregularities to identify the coupling mechanisms within the atmosphere, between the atmosphere and the lithosphere, and between the atmosphere and the geospace.

Space weather and space climate are collective terms that describe the Sun-Earth system on timescales varying between minutes and decades and include processes at the Sun, in the heliosphere, magnetosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere and at the lower atmosphere. Being able to predict (forecast and nowcast) the extreme events and develop the strategy for mitigation are dramatically important because space assets and critical infrastructures in the EU, such as communication and navigation systems, power grids, and aviation, are all extremely sensitive to the external environment. Post-event analysis is crucially important for the development and maintenance of numerical models, which can predict extreme space weather events in order to avoid failure of the critical infrastructures.
This session aims to address both the current state of the art of space weather products and new ideas and developments that can enhance the understanding of space weather and space climate and its impact on critical infrastructure. We invite presentations on various space weather and space climate-related activities in the Sun-Earth system: forecast and nowcast products and services; satellite observations; model development, validation, and verification; data assimilation; development and production of geomagnetic and ionospheric indices. Talks on space weather effects on applications (e.g. on airlines, pipelines and power grids, space flights, auroral tourism, etc.) in the Earth’s environment are also welcomed.

The topic will cover the wide range of the aspects of solar-terrestrial physics that deal with the effects of space phenomena on different levels of geo-space. Effects range from those observed on spacecraft related activities all the way down to Earth to other solar system bodies and include technological systems, human health and life in space, as well as Earth`s climate.

We welcome theoretical, observational, as well as applied contributions(effects on terrestrial and geo-space environments) on all aspects of Space Weather.

Special emphasis will be put on new multi-diagnostics data base and services and on construction of relevant roadmap for future Space Weather products, application for Space geodetic techniques such as GNSS (ground-and satellite-based), DORIS, VLBI, satellite altimetry or the GPS radio occultation missions, as well as contributions related to the ESA Space Situational Awareness (SSA).

This session aims at merging new and existing methods of observations and diagnostics of Solar System habitats and Space Weather services, as LOFAR radio diagnostics and new investigation and application for incoming ESA exploration mission like JUICE, SOLAR ORBITER.

The session is intended as a discussion forum for reviewing and improving our current understanding of solar flare occurrence mechanisms and the prediction of flares and eruptions in both observational and modeling settings. In particular, this session will discuss, first, the apparent paradigm shift from simple flare and eruption prediction methods to interdisciplinary, multi-parameter investigations enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) and, second, the current and future synergies between academic and operational sectors in the framework of research to operations (R2O). Solar eruptions cause space weather phenomena that can affect space environment and sometimes impact our infrastructure, causing disruptions to our societal fabric. Prediction of solar flares and eruptions is essential to increase the lead time and the accuracy of space weather forecasts. Synergies are crucial for establishing operational prediction models and for effectively evaluating and validating these models. Such collaborative approaches are motivated by observational advances enabled by space missions (SDO, STEREO, SOHO, Hinode, RHESSI, GOES, Parker Solar Probe, and Solar Orbiter in the near future, etc.), empirical human forecasting for decades, statistical methods, advances in machine- and deep-learning techniques, big-data handling, as well as realistic, data-driven numerical simulations. We solicit contributions on solar flare and eruption prediction, including operational human forecasting, statistical models, AI investigations and state-of-the-art forecast models enabled by numerical simulations, aiming toward future operations. Abstracts on data and performance verification, validation and benchmarking are also welcome.
Moreover, the long-term effect of solar spectral irradiance (SSI) of the UV and longer wavelength on the Earth climate system have been studied in detail, however the effect of particle precipitation on the Earth's atmosphere and climate has only recently received increasing attention. To cover these aspects, abstracts are welcome that discuss the impact of space weather events on the terrestrial atmosphere for different time scales.

Space is at the verge of a paradigm change. Earlier, mostly larger space agencies or international organizations were able to launch spacecraft. Today, the less expensive access to space increases the number of spacecraft, space-faring interest groups, and space-based research fields. The Science with CubeSats session emphasizes this new trend and highlights the possibilities and science objectives that can be achieved by small dedicated spacecraft, which can be built faster and in a more cost-efficient way than larger missions. These CubeSat missions can be either standalone or complementary to larger missions. The session solicits abstracts related to science onboard past, current or future CubeSats missions. We also solicit abstracts related to miniaturized instrument designs that can be accommodated on CubeSats as well as abstracts related to technologies and subsystems that enable science with CubeSats.

'Cosmic rays’ collectively describe particles that bombard the Earth from space. They carry information about space and, once near the Earth, interact with the magnetosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. Secondary cosmic rays created within the atmosphere can provide information about our planet that is vital to science and society. Secondary neutron radiation plays an extraordinary role, as it not only carries information about solar activity, but also produces short and long living tracer isotopes, influences genetic information of living organisms, and is extraordinarily sensitive to hydrogen and therefore also to water. Given the vast spectrum of interactions of cosmic rays with matter in different parts of the Earth, cosmic-ray research ranges from studies of the solar system to the history of the Earth, and from health and security issues to hydrology and climate change.

Although research on cosmic-ray particles is connected to a variety of disciplines and applications, they all share similar questions and problems regarding the physics of detection, modeling, and environmental factors that influence the intensity. Questions that all disciplines have in common are, for example, “How does the cosmic-ray intensity and energy spectra change with time and location on Earth?”, “How to correct the signal for magnetospheric or atmospheric fluctuations?”, “What is the influence of local structures, water bodies, and surface conditions?”, “Which computer model for cosmic-ray propagation is correct?”, or “What can we learn from other types of cosmic-ray particles?”.

The session brings together scientists from all fields of research that are related to monitoring and modeling of cosmogenic radiation. It will allow sharing of expertise amongst international researchers as well as showcase recent advancements in their field. The session aims to stimulate discussions about how individual disciplines can share their knowledge and benefit from each other.

We solicit contributions related but not limited to:
- Health, security, and radiation protection: cosmic-ray dosimetry on Earth and its dependence on environmental and atmospheric factors
- Planetary space science: satellite and ground-based neutron and gamma-ray sensors to detect water and soil chemistry
- Neutron monitor research: detection of high-energy cosmic rays variations and its dependence on local and atmospheric factors
- Hydrology and climate change: low-energy neutron sensing to measure water in reservoirs at and near the land surface, such as soils, snow pack and vegetation
- Cosmogenic nuclides: as tracers of atmospheric circulation and mixing; as a tool in archaeology or glaciology for dating of ice and measuring ablation rates; and as a tool for surface exposure dating and measuring rates of surficial geological processes
- Detector design: technological advancements for the detection of cosmic rays
- Cosmic-ray modeling: advances in modeling of the cosmic-ray propagation through the magnetosphere and atmosphere, and their response to the Earth’s surface
- Impact modeling: How can cosmic-ray monitoring support environmental models, weather and climate forecasting, irrigation management, and the assessment of natural hazards

The nature of science has changed: it has become more interconnected, collaborative, multidisciplinary, and data intensive. Accordingly, the main aim of this session is to create a common space for interdisciplinary scientific discussion, where EGU-GA delegates involved in geoscientific networks can share ideas and present the research activities carried out in their networks. The session represents an invaluable opportunity for different networks and their members to identify possible synergies and establish new collaborations, find novel links between disciplines, and design innovative research approaches.

Part of the session will be focused on COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Actions*. The first edition of the session (successfully held in 2018) was actually entirely dedicated to the COST networking programme and hosted scientific contributions stemming from 25 Actions, covering different areas of the geosciences (sky, earth and subsurface monitoring, terrestrial life and ecosystems, earth's changing climate and natural hazards, sustainable management of resources and urban development, environmental contaminants, and big data management). Inspiring and fruitful discussions took place; the session was very well attended. We are looking forward to continuing the dialogue this year and to receiving new contributions from COST Action Members.

Another part of the session will be dedicated to the activities of other national and international scientific networks, associations, as well teams of scientists who are carrying out collaborative research projects.

Finally, the session is of course open to everyone! Accordingly, abstracts authored by scientists not involved in wide scientific networks are most welcome, too! In fact, in 2018 we received a good number of such abstracts, submitted by individual scientists or small research teams who wished to disseminate the results of their studies in front of the multidisciplinary audience that characterizes this session, as an alternative to making a presentation in a thematic session. This may be a productive way to broaden the perspective and find new partners for future interdisciplinary research ventures. We hope to receive this kind of abstracts this year, as well.


-- Notes --

* COST (www.cost.eu) is a EU-funded programme that enables researchers to set up their interdisciplinary research networks (the “Actions”), in Europe and beyond. COST provides funds for organising conferences, workshops, meetings, training schools, short scientific exchanges and other networking activities in a wide range of scientific topics. Academia, industry, public- and private-sector laboratories work together in Actions, sharing knowledge, leveraging diversity, and pulling resources. Every Action has a main objective, defined goals and clear deliverables. This session was started as a follow up initiative of COST Action TU1208 “Civil engineering applications of Ground Penetrating Radar” (2013-2017, www.GPRadar.eu).

The session aims to collect original or review contributions on the use of data from Low-Earth-Orbiting (LEO) satellites making measurements in the thermosphere-ionosphere to investigate ionospheric anomalies related to space weather, geophysical and artificial sources. In fact, data from LEO satellites can provide a global view of near-Earth space variability and are complementary to ground-based observations, which have limited global coverage. The AMPERE project and integration of the Swarm data into ESA’s Space Weather program are current examples of this. The availability of thermosphere and ionosphere data from the DEMETER satellite and the new operative CSES mission demonstrates that also satellites that have not been specifically designed for space weather studies can provide important contributions to this field. On the other hand, there are evidences that earthquakes can generate electromagnetic anomalies into the near Earth space. A multi-instrumental approach, by using ground observations (magnetometers, magnetotelluric stations, GNSS receivers, etc.) and LEO satellites (DEMETER, Swarm, CSES, etc.) measurements can help in clarifying the missing scientific knowledge of the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling (LAIC) mechanisms before, during and after large earthquakes. We also solicit contributions on studies about other phenomena, such as tropospheric and anthropogenic electromagnetic emissions, that influence the near-Earth electromagnetic and plasma environment on all relevant topics including data processing, data-assimilation in models, space weather case studies, superimposed epoch analyses, etc.

Over the last decades, research in the Solar Terrestrial sciences has greatly advanced our understanding of this huge system. For half a century, satellites and a continuously growing network of ground based observatories, have allowed us to get closer and make observations with higher precision than ever before. Together with more complex models, this gives us detailed knowledge on how the Sun affects its surrounding environment, and especially its coupling to Earth. As new space missions fill in today’s missing pieces of knowledge, new questions are born that need to be tackled by new thoughts. Being an Early Career Scientist, it is often hard to identify which questions are new and what has been answered before. In this short course we have invited a panel of renowned researchers. They will give their view on how far we have come in our understanding, and most importantly, on what challenges lie ahead for the young scientists to embark upon. This is an excellent opportunity to meet with the experts and discuss the future of our community. Target audience is students and early career scientists that want to increase their awareness of current and future research challenges within solar terrestrial sciences and to discuss their potential contributions. The audience is invited to propose specific topics and/or questions for discussion in advance to ecs-st@egu.eu.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), the intrepid explorer of the Andes and other regions in the world, and the most famous scientist of his time. Alexander von Humboldt is perhaps best known for his radical new vision of nature as a complex and interconnected global force, thereby becoming the founder of the field of biogeography and laying the ground for modern Earth-System Science approaches. It seems fitting to pay tribute to Alexander von Humboldt’s legacy by reviewing the state of the art in studies of the coupled lithosphere – atmosphere – hydrosphere – biosphere system with a focus on the Andean mountain belt. The Andes have become one of the main natural laboratories in the world to explore these questions and many recent studies have addressed its tectonic and geodynamic evolution, but also the two-way couplings between surface uplift, climatic evolution and biodiversity in the Andes and its foreland. This Union Session will bring together world-leading specialists on these questions with the aim to shed light on both suspected and unexpected couplings in the system.

Over the whole Earth history, the climate has encountered tipping points, shifting from one regulated system to the other. This tilting motion affects both climate and the carbon cycle and has played a major role in the evolution of the Earth climate, at all timescales. Earth History has been ponctuated by large climate changes and carbon cycle reorganizations, from large climate variations occurring in deep times (snowball events, terrestrialisation, Mesozoic and early Cenozoic warm episodes, quaternary glacial cycles…) to past and on-going abrupt events. Many potential triggers of those climate and carbon cycle shifts have been proposed and tested through modeling studies, and against field data, such as those directly or indirectly linked with tectonics (plate motion, orogenesis, opening/closing of seaways, weathering…) and orbital forcing. Given that the Earth climate is currently experiencing an unprecedented transition under anthropogenic pressure, understanding the mechanisms behind the scene is crucial.

Our aim is to point out the most recent results concerning how a complex system as the climate of the Earth has undergone many tipping points and what is the specificity of the future climate changes. Therefore, within this session, we would like to encourage talks discussing advances in our record and modeling of the forces triggering and amplifying the changes of Earth climate and carbon cycle across spatial and temporal scales.

In today’s changing world we need to tap the potential of every talented mind to develop solutions for a sustainable future. The existence of under-representation of different groups (cultural, national and gender) remains a reality across the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM fields) around the world, including the geosciences. This Union Symposium will focus on remaining obstacles that contribute to these imbalances, with the goal of identifying best practices and innovative ideas to overcome obstacles.

EGU is welcoming six high-level speakers from the funding agencies and research centres on both sides of the Atlantic related to geosciences to present efforts and discuss initiatives to tackle both implicit and explicit biases. Speakers are:

Jill Karsten, AGU Diversity and Inclusion Task Force (confirmed)
Erika Marín-Spiotta, University of Wisconsin - Madison (confirmed)
Daniel Conley, Lund University (confirmed)
Giulio di Toro, University of Padua (confirmed)
Liviu Matenco, Utrecht University (confirmed)
Barbara Romanowicz, European Research Council (confirmed)

Atmospheric composition matters to climate, weather forecasting, human health, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, agricultural productivity, aeronautical operations, renewable energy production, and more. Hence research in atmospheric composition is becoming increasingly cross-cutting and linked to many disciplines including climate, biogeosciences, hydrology, natural hazards, computer and data sciences, socio-economic studies and many others. There is a growing need for atmospheric composition information and an improved understanding of the processes that drive changes in the composition and resulting impacts. While atmospheric composition research is advancing rapidly, there is a need to pay more attention to the translation of this research to support societal needs. Although translational research is a major focus of the health sciences and meteorology, it is in a relatively early stage in atmospheric composition. In this Union Symposium, we plan to highlight the need for, and to illustrate exciting advances in the translation of atmospheric composition research to support services. We will build upon work within the World Meteorological Organization and other communities related to the closer linkages of weather, atmospheric composition, and climate research and related services. We will also articulate the needs for advances in observing systems, models and a better understanding of fundamental processes. This session will also serve as a celebration of the 30 year anniversary of the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch programme and an opportunity for the broader community to envision partnerships needed to facilitate the effective translation of atmospheric composition research.

In October 2018, the IPCC published its special report on impacts of global warming of 1.5 deg C. Another recent, highly publicised study suggests that the planet could pass an irreversible threshold into a so called “Hothouse Earth” state for a temperature increase of as low as 2 degrees C above pre-industrial temperatures, while other studies and commentaries have emphasised the urgency on climate action, arguing that 2020 must be a turning point for global fossil fuel emissions, to increase the chance of maintaining a safe operating space for the humans on the planet. In 2018, the IPCC celebrated its 30th anniversary. The importance of taking action on human-induced climate change has been emphasised with governments around the world since the 1990s yet CO2 concentrations continue to rise and international initiatives have, to date, had limited and insufficient impact to avert some of the most serious consequences of climate change.
How close are we to one or more critical thresholds (cliff edge)? Is there time to avert passing one or more of these thresholds? What can the geoscience community do to reduce the risks? How important is bottom up versus top down action to ensuring the least worst outcome? These are some of the questions we will debate with world experts in their field and authors of the thought papers on these topics.

The geosciences are currently used by policymakers in a wide variety of areas to help guide the decision-making process and ensure that the best possible outcome is achieved. While the importance of scientific advice and the use of evidence in the policymaking process is generally acknowledged by both policymakers and scientists, how scientific advice is integrated and who is responsible is still unclear.

EU Policymakers frequently highlight institutionalised processes for integrating scientific advice into policy such as European Commission's Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (SAM) and the EU Commission’s Register of Expert Groups. But how efficient and accessible are these mechanisms really?

Some emphasise the need for scientists to have their own policy networks in place so that they can share their research outcomes with policymakers who can then use it directly or pass it on to those responsible for relevant legislation. But from funding applications to teaching and even outreach activities – scientists are often already overloaded with additional tasks on top of their own research. Can they really be held responsible for keeping up with the latest policy news and maintaining a constantly changing network of policymakers as well?

This debate will feature a mixed panel of policymakers and geoscientists who have previously given scientific advice. Some key questions that the panel will debate include:
• How can the accessibility of current EU science-advisory mechanisms be improved?
• Are scientists doing enough to share their research?
• And who is responsible for ensuring that quality scientific evidence is used in policymaking?

Speakers will be encouraged to explain any science advisory mechanism that they highlight (e.g. SAM) to ensure that the debate is understood by all those in attendance.

While the panel and subsequent debate will have an EU focus, it is likely that many of the issues discussed will be applicable to countries around the world.

The ever more challenging work environments and increasing pressures on Early Career Scientists e.g. publish or perish, securing grant proposals, developing transferable skills and many more – and all while having a lack of job security. This puts a big strain on Early Career Scientists and this can lead to neglected mental well-being which in turn increases the risk of developing anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. The graduate survey from 2017 (https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v550/n7677/full/nj7677-549a.html) shows that 12% of respondents had sought help or advice for anxiety or depression during their PhD.

In this debate we want to discuss: Is there a problem? How ECS can take control of their mental wellbeing and prioritise this in the current research environment? And what support would ECS like to see from organisations like EGU or their employers?

"What counts may not be countable and what is countable may not count". Assessments of scientists and their institutions tend to focus on easy-to-measure metrics related to research outputs such as publications, citations, and grants. However, society is increasingly dependent on Earth science research and data for immediate decisions and long-term planning. There is a growing need for scientists to communicate, engage, and work directly with the public and policy makers, and practice open scholarship, especially regarding data and software. Improving the reward and recognition structure to encourage broader participation of scientists in these activities must involve societies, institutions, and funders. EGU, AGU, and JPGU have all taken steps to improve this recognition, from developing new awards to starting journals around the topic of engaging the public to implementing FAIR data practices in the Earth, environmental, and space sciences, but far more is needed for a broad cultural change. How can we fairly value and credit harder-to-measure, these less tangible contributions, compared to the favoured metrics? And how can we shift the emphasis away from the "audit culture" towards measuring performance and excellence? This session will present a distinguished panel of stakeholders discussing how to implement and institutionalize these changes.

Wed, 10 Apr, 12:45-14:00 / Room E1

Plastic pollution is recognized as one of the most serious and urgent problems facing our planet. Rates of manufacture, use and ultimately disposal of plastics continue to soar, posing an enormous threat to the planet’s oceans and rivers and the flora and fauna they support. There is an urgent need for global action, backed by sound scientific understanding, to tackle this problem.

This Union Symposium will address the problems posed to our planet by plastic pollution, and examine options for dealing with the threat.

The Games Night is a space to gather, socialise, and play some games. The catch is that all the games are based on Geoscience! Bring along your own games or try one of the others in the session and meet the people who created them. This will also be your chance to try games featured in the Games for Geoscience session.

Join us to help put some of the world's most vulnerable places on the map. A mapathon is a mapping marathon, where we get together to contribute to OpenStreetMap - the world's free map.
No experience is necessary - just bring your laptop and we will provide the training. Learn more about crowdsourcing, open data and humanitarian response - we will also provide some tips for how to host a mapathon at your home institution.

Plastic Oceans UK have been experts on plastic pollution for nearly a decade - solving the plastic crisis through their science, sustainability and education programmes. This all began with the award-winning documentary A Plastic Ocean, now available for streaming on Netflix.

Through changing attitudes, behaviours and practices on the use and value of plastics, we can stop plastic pollution reaching the ocean within a generation.

Come along to the screening of A Plastic Ocean to understand the impacts of plastic pollution around the world, what action we can take to stop plastics entering our natural world and pose your questions to the film's producer, Jo Ruxton, at the end of film.

http://plasticoceans.uk/