Glaciers and ice caps are major contributors to sea-level rise and have large impacts on runoff from glacierized basins. Major mass losses of glaciers and ice caps have been reported around the globe for the recent decades. This is a general session on glaciers outside the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, emphasizing their past, present and future responses to climate change. Although much progress in understanding the link between glaciers and climate and the impacts of their wastage on various systems has recently been achieved, many substantial unknowns remain. It is necessary to acquire more direct observations, both applying novel measurement technologies and releasing unpublished data from previous years, as well as combining in situ observations with new remote sensing products and modelling. In order to improve our understanding of the processes behind the observed glacier changes, the application of models of different complexity in combination with new data sets is crucial. We welcome contributions on all aspects of glacier changes – current, past and future – based on field observations, remote sensing and modelling. Studies on the physical processes controlling all components of glacier mass balance are especially encouraged, as well as assessments of the impact of retreating glaciers and ice caps on sea-level rise, runoff and other downstream systems.

Understanding the likely mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in coming decades is critical to sea-level rise forecasting and the needed societal adaptions. Model predictions suggest that the melting of the ice sheet could contribute several metres to global mean sea-level rise over the next few centuries under medium to high emissions scenarios, regardless of local increases in snow accumulation.

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is often viewed as the most vulnerable ice sheet in the coming century; however, the vast majority of Earth’s glacier ice (around 52 metres sea-level equivalent) is within the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), and parts of it are susceptible to many of the same instabilities, some of them already underway.

To project future ice sheet losses and estimate impacts we need to integrate knowledge of past ice sheet changes with recent observations. In turn, this better understanding leads to improved modelling and projections of future changes. Recent estimates based on satellite measurements and in situ observations show the WAIS losing elevation and mass, particularly along the Amundsen Sea coast; the EAIS is instead estimated to be broadly in balance with some marine-based catchments losing mass, and others gaining mass due to increased snow accumulation. Of concern, however, is that parts of both ice sheets are thought to have undergone far greater retreats during past warm periods such as the Mid-Pliocene, Marine Isotope Stage 11 and potentially as recently as the Last Interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5e), and may be heading for similar but more rapid ice loss under the ongoing anthropogenic forcing.

We welcome modelling and observational studies from both onshore and offshore realms, in present and recent past time frames, that explore and constrain the processes affecting change of the icesheets, Southern Ocean and ecosystems.

Climate change has a significant impact on the amount, spatial and temporal distribution of the cryosphere (snow, glaciers, permafrost) and the associated water resources in different regions of the world. Several studies show that the response of the cryosphere to climate change is not simply an effect of temperature change, but depends on several factors, such as geographic location (climate zone), latitude and regional atmospheric influences (e.g. interaction with synoptic-scale atmospheric currents). However, the observation capacities and process understanding of these interactions are quite different for the individual regions. For example, despite its great importance in mountain regions, a comprehensive inventory of snow in mountains on a global scale based on robust data is still lacking. Overcoming this research gap is one of the main motivations for the joint committee "Status of Snow Cover in Mountain Regions", a joint endeavor of IACS, WMO and MRI.
The aim of the conference is to bring together the knowledge and experience of researchers from different regions of the world (e.g. mountains, Arctic) who are working on similar topics relating to climate-induced changes in the cryosphere. An expected outcome of the conference is therefore to take stock and present the current state of knowledge and identify research gaps that can guide future work. Given the overall importance of the cryosphere for ecology, economy and human life in general, researchers from different and also interdisciplinary fields are invited to contribute and these are encouraged for all regions of the world and using a variety of data sources and analytical methods (including modelling attempts, in situ observations, satellite products or reanalysis data).

Gas hydrates are ice-like crystalline compounds that form from water and gas molecules at elevated pressure and low temperatures. Therefore, gas hydrates occur at all passive and active continental margins as well as in permafrost regions or under ice sheets. Given global warming and the associated thawing of permafrost and ice sheets, the fate of the underlying gas hydrates and the methane bound within them is still unclear. In this session, we invite scientists from all fields to exchange ideas on regional and local physico-chemical conditions under which gas hydrates dissociate, the decomposition behavior of gas hydrates and release of the gases contained, the transformation of these gases in (bio)chemical processes, the interaction and migration of gases in sediments, the geo-mechanical changes in sediments caused by hydrate decomposition, and possible geoengineering measures to delay the release of climate-active gases from hydrate deposits into the atmosphere. We particularly welcome contributions that advance our knowledge of the fate of gas hydrates in permafrost environments.
All contributions to field observations, as well as experimental and numerical simulations on all space and time scales are welcome.

Feedbacks within the Earth’s system involving the global carbon cycle, ice-sheet dynamics and oceanic circulation played a significant role in shaping the timing and amplitude of Quaternary deglaciations and their preceding glacial periods, as well as abrupt millennial-scale variability within the Last Glacial Cycle. For example, the deep ocean likely played a key role in modulating changes in atmospheric CO2; and ice sheet evolution exerts a strong control on atmosphere and ocean circulation. However, the precise combination of mechanisms and feedbacks responsible for glacial-interglacial and millennial-scale climate transitions remains unresolved. This session invites contributions from studies that provide an improved understanding of the processes and feedbacks occurring during glacial periods and deglaciations during the past 2.6 Ma. This includes new palaeo records, data syntheses and numerical simulations examining climate, the global carbon cycle, continental ice-sheets, ocean circulation, and sea-level.

This session is intended to attract a broad range of ice-sheet and glacier modelling contributions, welcoming applied and theoretical contributions. Theoretical topics that are encouraged are higher-order mechanical models, data inversion and assimilation, representation of other earth sub-systems in ice-sheet models, and the incorporation of basal processes and novel constitutive relationships in these models.
Applications of newer modelling themes to ice-sheets and glaciers past and present are particularly encouraged, in particular those considering ice streams, rapid change, grounding line motion and ice-sheet model intercomparisons.

Ice sheets play an active role in the climate system by amplifying, pacing, and potentially driving global climate change over a wide range of time scales. The impact of interactions between ice sheets and climate include changes in atmospheric and ocean temperatures and circulation, global biogeochemical cycles, the global hydrological cycle, vegetation, sea level, and land-surface albedo, which in turn cause additional feedbacks in the climate system. This session will present data and modelling results that examine ice sheet interactions with other components of the climate system over several time scales. Among other topics, issues to be addressed in this session include ice sheet-climate interactions from glacial-interglacial to millennial and centennial time scales, the role of ice sheets in Cenozoic global cooling and the mid-Pleistocene transition, reconstructions of past ice sheets and sea level, the current and future evolution of the ice sheets, and the role of ice sheets in abrupt climate change.

Ice shelves and tidewater glaciers are sensitive elements of the climate system. Sandwiched between atmosphere and ocean, they are vulnerable to changes in either. The recent disintegration of ice shelves such as Larsen B and Wilkins on the Antarctic Peninsula, current thinning of the ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica, and the recent accelerations of many of Greenland's tidewater glaciers provide evidence of the rapidity with which those systems can respond. Changes in marine-terminating outlets appear to be intimately linked with acceleration and thinning of the ice sheets inland of the grounding line, with immediate consequences for global sea level. Studies of the dynamics and structure of the ice sheets' marine termini and their interactions with atmosphere and ocean are the key to improving our understanding of their response to climate forcing and of their buttressing role for ice streams. The main themes of this session are the dynamics of ice shelves and tidewater glaciers and their interaction with the ocean, atmosphere and the inland ice, including grounding line dynamics. The session includes studies on related processes such as calving, ice fracture, rifting and mass balance, as well as theoretical descriptions of mechanical and thermodynamic processes. We seek contributions both from numerical modelling of ice shelves and tidewater glaciers, including their oceanic and atmospheric environments, and from observational studies of those systems, including glaciological and oceanographic field measurements, as well as remote sensing and laboratory studies.

Dynamic subglacial, supraglacial and englacial water networks play a key role in the flow and stability of glaciers and ice sheets. The accumulation of meltwater on the surface of ice shelves has been hypothesized as a potential mechanism controlling ice-shelf stability, with ice-shelf collapse triggering substantial increases in discharge of grounded ice. Observations and modelling also suggest that complex hydrological networks occur at the base of glaciers and ice sheets and these systems play a prominent role in controlling the flow of grounded ice. This session tackles the urgent need to better understand the fundamental processes involved in glacial hydrology that need to be addressed in order to accurately predict future ice-sheet evolution and mass loss, and ultimately the contribution to sea-level rise.

We seek contributions from both the modelling and observational communities relating to any area of ice-sheet, ice-shelf, or glacier hydrology. This includes but is not limited to: surface hydrology, melt lake and river formation; meltwater processes within the ice and firn; basal hydrology; subglacial lakes; impacts of meltwater on ice-sheet stability and flow; incorporation of any of these processes into large-scale climate and ice-sheet models.

The interaction between the ocean and the cryosphere in the Southern Ocean has become a major focus in climate research. Antarctic climate change has captured public attention, which has spawned a number of research questions, such as: Is Antarctic sea ice becoming more vulnerable in a changing climate? Where and when will ocean-driven melting of ice shelves yield a tipping point in the Antarctic climate? What drives the observed reduction in Antarctic Bottom Water production? How does the Antarctic Slope Current interact with the continental shelf? What role do ice-related processes play in nutrient upwelling on the continental shelf and in triggering carbon export to deep waters?

Recent advances in observational technology, data coverage, and modeling provide scientists with a better understanding of the mechanisms involving ice-ocean interactions in the far South. Processes on the Antarctic continental shelf have been identified as missing links between the cryosphere, the global atmosphere and the deep open ocean that need to be captured in large-scale and global model simulations.
This session calls for studies on physical and biogeochemical oceanography linked to ice shelves and sea ice. This includes work on all scales, from local to basin-scale to circumpolar; as well as paleo, present-day and future applications. Studies based on in-situ observations, remote sensing and regional to global models are welcome. We particularly invite cross-disciplinary topics involving glaciology, sea ice physics and biological oceanography.

Water stored in the snow pack and in glaciers represents an important component of the hydrological budget in many regions of the world, as well as a sustainment to life during dry seasons. Predicted impacts of climate change in catchments covered by snow or glaciers (including a shift from snow to rain, earlier snowmelt, and a decrease in peak snow accumulation) will reflect both on water resources availability and water uses at multiple scales, with potential implications for energy and food production.

The generation of runoff in catchments that are impacted by snow or ice, profoundly differs from rainfed catchments. And yet, our knowledge of snow/ice accumulation and melt patterns and their impact on runoff is highly uncertain, because of both limited availability and inherently large spatial variability of hydrological and weather data in such areas. This translates into limited process understanding, especially in a warming climate.

This session aims at bringing together those scientists that define themselves to some extent as cold region hydrologists, as large as this field can be. Contributions addressing the following topics are welcome:
- Experimental research on snow-melt & ice-melt runoff processes and potential implementation in hydrological models;
- Development of novel strategies for snowmelt runoff modelling in various (or changing) climatic and land-cover conditions;
- Evaluation of remote-sensing or in-situ snow products and application for snowmelt runoff calibration, data assimilation, streamflow forecasting or snow and ice physical properties quantification;
- Observational and modelling studies that shed new light on hydrological processes in glacier-covered catchments, e.g. impacts of glacier retreat on water resources and water storage dynamics or the application of techniques for tracing water flow paths;
- Studies on cryosphere-influenced mountain hydrology, such as landforms at high elevations and their relationship with streamflow, water balance of snow/ice-dominated mountain regions;
- Studies addressing the impact of climate change on the water cycle of snow and ice affected catchments.

Significant reductions in Arctic sea ice extent, concentration and thickness have been consistently witnessed during the last decades. In contrast, Antarctic sea ice extent was remarkably stable until 2016/2017. Over recent years we have seen a series of record lows in Antarctic sea ice extent, composed of varying trends in different sectors. 2023 has been particularly stark due to the lack of recovery of the sea ice cover, raising concerns for the future of Antarctic sea ice. Climate projections suggest a reduction of the sea ice cover in both poles, with the Arctic becoming seasonally ice free in the latter half of this century.
The scientific community is investing considerable effort in organising our current knowledge of the physical and biogeochemical properties of sea ice, exploring poorly understood sea ice processes, and forecasting future changes of the sea ice cover, such as in CMIP6.
In this session, we invite contributions regarding all aspects of sea ice science and sea ice-climate interactions in both the Arctic and Southern Ocean, including snow and sea ice thermodynamics and dynamics, sea ice-atmosphere and sea ice-ocean interactions, sea ice biological and chemical processes, sea ice observational and field studies and models. A focus on emerging processes and implications is particularly welcome.

In recent years, sea ice has displayed behaviour unseen before in the observational record, both in the Arctic and the Antarctic. This fast-changing sea-ice cover calls for adapting and improving our modelling approaches and mathematical techniques to simulate its behaviour and its interaction with the atmosphere and the ocean, both in terms of dynamics and thermodynamics.

Sea ice is governed by a variety of small-scale processes that affect its large-scale evolution. Modelling this nonlinear coupled multidimensional system remains a major challenge, because (1) we still lack the understanding of the physics governing sea-ice dynamics and thermodynamics, (2) observations to conduct model evaluation are scarce and (3) the numerical approximation and the simulation become more difficult and computationally expensive at higher resolution.

Recently, several new modeling approaches have been developed and refined to address these issues. These include but are not limited to new rheologies, discrete element models, advanced subgrid parameterizations, the representation of wave-ice interactions, sophisticated data assimilation schemes, often with the integration of machine learning techniques. Moreover, novel in-situ observations and the growing availability and quality of sea-ice remote-sensing data bring new opportunities for improving sea-ice models.

This session aims to bring together researchers working on the development of sea-ice models, from small to large scales and for a wide range of applications such as idealised experiments, operational predictions, or climate simulations, to discuss current advances and challenges ahead.

The persistent rapid decline of the Arctic sea ice in the last decades is a dramatic indicator of climate change. The Arctic sea ice cover is now thinner, weaker and drifts faster. Extreme air temperatures over land and ocean are more common, contributing to accelerated ice sheet melting and summer sea ice loss in the Kara and Laptev Seas. On land, the permafrost is dramatically thawing, glaciers are disappearing, and forest fires are raging. The ocean is also changing: the volume of freshwater stored in the Arctic has increased as have the inputs of coastal runoff from Siberia and Greenland and the exchanges with the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. As the global surface temperature rises, the Arctic Ocean is speculated to become seasonally ice-free by the mid 21st century, which prompts us to revisit our perceptions of the Arctic system as a whole. What could the Arctic Ocean look like in the future? How are the present changes in the Arctic going to affect and be affected by the lower latitudes? What aspects of the changing Arctic should observational, remote sensing and modelling programmes address in priority?
In this session, we invite contributions from a variety of studies on the recent past, present and future Arctic. We encourage submissions examining interactions between ocean, atmosphere and sea ice; on emerging mechanisms and feedbacks in the Arctic; and on how the Arctic influences the global ocean. Submissions taking a cross-disciplinary, system approach and focussing on emerging cryospheric, oceanic and biogeochemical processes and their linkages with land are particularly welcome.
We aim to promote discussions on future plans for Arctic Ocean modelling and measurement strategies, including on constraining models with observations, and encourage submissions on CMIP , as well as on recent observational programs, such as the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC), which cosponsors this session.

While observed volume, concentration and extent of Arctic sea ice have decreased dramatically over the last decades, climate model simulations of the recent past feature a slower sea-ice decline than observed. These same models are then used to project future sea ice changes, raising the question if even the most optimistic future emission scenarios will be enough to preserve the summer sea ice in the future.

Although the sea-ice decrease is the most pronounced in late summer, understanding coupled key processes of ocean/sea-ice/atmosphere-system during the so-called shoulder seasons, the onsets of the melt in spring and freeze up in autumn, is important since the timing of these set the boundaries for the length of the melt season and therefore strongly influence the total melt in any given year.

While the autumn freeze onset has received some attention, substantially less is known about the spring melt onset, partly because of a lack of observations to characterize and understand the processes controlling or leading up to it, on different scales. An improved understanding of this season is important, to inform model development crucial for simulations and assessments of future changes in the Arctic climate system.

This session focuses on the late winter and early spring in the Arctic and especially the onset of the summer sea-ice melt. We invite presentations broadly on ocean, sea-ice and atmospheric processes over a large spectrum of scales governing or being strongly affected by this transition, from long-term observations and reanalysis, process and climate modeling and especially from observations from new field campaigns covering this time period, such as MOSAiC and ARTofMELT.

Permafrost is widely distributed in high-latitude and high-altitude regions, and it is expected that these regions will experience warming that is twice the global average. Due to high temperatures, permafrost degradation is expected. Permafrost degradation influences the hydrological, ecological, and biochemical processes. Moreover, understanding links between permafrost degradation and release of carbon is crucial for the evaluation of key climate feedback mechanisms. Permafrost-related research is a relatively new and upcoming field in comparison to other research fields of the cryosphere. We invite modeling and observation-based studies on permafrost and its interactions with climate, surface water, biogeochemical and human components.

Contributions may include but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Experiments and modeling studies on geochemical tracers (metals, nutrients, major ions, stable isotopes) in permafrost environments across all temporal and spatial scales.
- Numerical, machine learning, and spatial modeling studies to understand permafrost dynamics across spatial and temporal scales.
- Assessment of climate change impacts on permafrost and permafrost-related processes.
- Innovative methods to characterize permafrost through ground-based measurements and remote sensing.
- Integrated model and observation-based studies.
- Permafrost engineering topics that deal with assessing the permafrost-infrastructure interactions.
- Impact of permafrost degradation on human lifestyle.

This session is a merger of three sessions from Cryospheric Sciences (CR) and Biogeosciences (BG).

The original sessions were:
- Disturbance processes in permafrost regions
- Permafrost dynamics, interactions, and feedbacks: past, present, and future
- High latitude biogeochemistry: Addressing challenges in GHG, from in situ to remote sensing

This merged session collects abstracts focussing on permafrost regions and other high latitude landscapes which have experienced the highest levels of warming in the world. Permafrost shapes Arctic ecosystems and interacts with the global climate system in manifold ways. It affects the cycling of water, energy, and carbon in high latitudes and impacts climate patterns at local to global scales. Furthermore, anthropogenic activities such as the construction of roads, mining, oil and gas extraction, and agricultural expansion are increasing in these regions. Permafrost regions are highly sensitive to disturbance due to their dependence on a thermal threshold for stability and as a result they are impacted by a wide range of disturbances including wildfire, infrastructure development, the arrival of invasive species, and ongoing atmospheric warming. This can result in a myriad of geomorphological processes including thermokarst formation, mass-movement initiation, coastal erosion, and lake drainage events; all of which impact a wide range of ecosystem processes, as well as the built environment. The interplay of atmospheric warming and anthropogenic activities have likely increased the frequency and magnitude of these disturbances and altered their spatiotemporal occurrence.

This session is a forum for scientists involved in the state-of-the-art research on permafrost dynamics, disturbance processes and impacts in permafrost environments, and the mechanisms and changes in greenhouse gas cycles in these highly dynamic regions.

This session covers observations and modelling of permafrost dynamics, interactions, and feedbacks with the hydrological cycle, seasonal snow cover, biogeochemical and biogeophysical processes, and landscape processes (e.g. thermokarst, wildfires) across spatial scales.

Climate change significantly affects high mountain regions by strongly altering the cryosphere. It influences landscapes, water resources, slope stability, ecosystem balances, and human/touristic activities, all closely interconnected and interdependent.

Permafrost degradation remains often hidden but has the potential (1) to destabilize mountain slopes, leading to large-scale landslides or rock-ice avalanches, (2) to mobilize large amounts of loose materials, generating sudden and destructive debris flows, and (3) to cause ground subsidence, with adverse effects on infrastructure. These consequences and other mixed cascading effects show mountain permafrost systems' sensitivity and the importance of closely monitoring and understanding them.

This session welcomes all contributions from mountain permafrost research in all periglacial environments: from high Arctic climates through any continental regions (e.g. Alpine, Andean, Tibetan) to arid unglaciated areas of Antarctica. We welcome a broad spectrum of ice-rich and ice-poor landforms, including rock glaciers, talus slopes, plateaus, ice-cored moraines, steep rock slopes,and thermokarst.

We particularly encourage contributions that enhance understanding of thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical processes at slope and regional scale. The combination of multiple methods and newly-developed approaches is of particular interest, as well as long-term studies or characterisation of new permafrost sites with state-of-the-art methods. Field and laboratory geophysical measurements (e.g., ERT, SRT, DAS, EM, IP, GPR, TLS), in-situ measurements (e.g., temperatures, discharge, kinematics, GPS), remote sensing surveys (e.g., optical, thermal, InSAR, UAV), modeling of past-present-future processes, early warning systems, and data analysis improvements thanks to machine learning and artificial intelligence tools can be submitted.

We aim to increase the understanding of mountain permafrost bodies’ response to climate evolutions. This session aims to create a new meeting and exchange opportunity within the mountain permafrost community and its fellows to foster common research developments and improve processes understanding.

ECS are encouraged to submit their work to this session. The presentation will be preferentially in presence (PICO).

In glaciated regions, a wide range of surface processes occur over different temporal and spatial scales, including glacial erosion, glacial outburst floods, fluvial erosion, sediment transport and deposition, rockfall, and slope failure. Over short timescales, many glaciated regions are evolving rapidly under the ongoing climate change, posing threats to mountain biodiversity, ecosystem stability, and human settlements. Over timescales of millennia or longer, these processes dramatically alter the landscape. Therefore, quantifying the rates of surface processes and understanding their interactions with climate and glaciation is a crucial challenge in Earth science.
Rock glaciers, in particular, are characteristic landforms associated with periglacial landscapes and play a fundamental role in the feedback between climate and erosion processes in glaciated mountain ranges. Their location, characteristics, and evolution are controlled by a combination of environmental (e.g. internal structure, topography, debris loading) and climatic (e.g. thermal and hydrological regimes) factors. Despite the growing interest and an increasing number of studies, our understanding of the physical processes controlling the dynamics of rock glaciers, and particularly the role of water, remains incomplete. Furthermore, the impact of climate-induced permafrost degradation on the present and future evolution of these landforms is largely unknown.
This session invites contributions that employ observational, analytical, or modelling approaches to address the interactions between climate, glaciations, rock glaciers, and proglacial processes across a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. We welcome contributions that focus on 1) understanding the production, transport, and deposition of sediments by ice and water in glacial and periglacial environments, 2) quantifying the amplitudes and rates of glacial modification to Earth’s surface, 3) understanding the dynamics and distribution of rock glaciers and their relevance to geohazards, geoheritage, water resources, and climate impact studies, and 4) exploring the feedbacks between proglacial processes, glaciations, and natural/anthropogenic climate forcings.

Present-day glacial and periglacial processes in cold regions, i.e. arctic and alpine environments, provide modern analogues to processes and climatic changes that took place during the Pleistocene, including gradual retreat or collapse of ice sheets and mountain glaciers, and thawing and shrinking of low-land permafrost. Current geomorphological and glaciological changes in mid-latitude mountain ranges could also serve as a proxy for future changes in high-latitude regions within a context of climate change. Examples are speed-up or disintegration of creeping permafrost features or the relictification of rock glaciers.

For our session we invite contributions that either:
1. investigate present-day glacial and/or periglacial landforms, sediments and processes to describe the current state, to reconstruct past environmental conditions and to predict future scenarios in cold regions; or
2. have a Quaternary focus and aim at enhancing our understanding of past glacial, periglacial and paraglacial processes, also through the application of dating techniques.

Case studies that use a multi-disciplinary approach (e.g. field, laboratory and modelling techniques) and/or that highlight the interaction between the glacial, periglacial and paraglacial cryospheric components in cold regions are particularly welcome.

Mountain and ice sheet glaciations provide an invaluable record for past and present climate change. However, varying geomorphological process-systems, specific glaciological conditions and topography can make regional, intra-hemispheric and global correlations challenging. This problem is further enhanced by ongoing specialisation within the scientific community. Despite such challenges glacier and ice sheet reconstructions remains a crucial paleo-environmental proxy.

The primary aim of this session is to evaluate the potential of mountain and ice sheet glaciation records and stimulate further research in this important field. Contributions on all relevant aspects are welcomed, for example: (a) glacial landforms and reconstruction of past glaciers and ice sheets, (b) dating techniques and geochronology compilations, (c) ice dynamics and paleoclimatic interpretations, or (d) impacts of ecosystems and human evolution/society. We would particularly like to invite contributions addressing regional and hemispheric connections, issues, and advances. The temporal scale of the session will encompass Early Pleistocene glaciations through to the Last Glacial Maximum, and Holocene/modern glaciers. In the past, this session has attracted contributions from a wide range of locations and a diversity in methodological approaches. It has become a platform for on-going collaborative research on mountain glaciations where people are given the opportunity to exchange ideas and expertise.

ECR keynote talks:

Block 1, Mountain glacier reconstruction
Lukas Rettig - A glacier-based reconstruction of the Last Glacial Maximum climate in the southern European Alps.

Block 2, Ice sheet reconstruction
Gwyneth Rivers - Using sediment facies & ground penetrating radar profiles to investigate the internal architecture and genesis of De Geer moraines.

Earth’s cryosphere demonstrates itself in many shapes and forms, but we use similar geophysical and in-situ methods to study its wide spectrum: from ice-sheets and glaciers, to firn and snow, sea ice, permafrost, and en-glacial and subglacial environments.

In this session, we welcome contributions related to all methods in cryospheric measurements, including: advances in radioglaciology, active and passive seismology, geoelectrics, acoustic sounding, fibre-optic sensing, GNSS reflectometry, signal attenuation, and time delay techniques, cosmic ray neutron sensing, ROV and drone applications, and electromagnetic methods. Contributions can include field applications, new approaches in geophysical or in-situ survey techniques, or theoretical advances in data analysis processing or inversion. Case studies from all parts of the cryosphere, including snow and firn, alpine glaciers, ice sheets, glacial and periglacial environments, alpine and arctic permafrost as well as rock glaciers, or sea ice, are highly welcome.

This session will give you an opportunity to step out of your research focus of a single cryosphere type and to share experiences in the application, processing, analysis, and interpretation of different geophysical and in-situ techniques in these highly complex environments. This session has been running for over a decade and always produces lively and informative discussion. We have a successful history of PICO and other short-style presentations - submit here if you want a guaranteed short oral!

This session has come about through the merger of two Cryospheric Sciences sessions – one focusing on Little Ice Age (LIA) glacier advances and the other on glacier monitoring from in situ and remotely sensed observations. The aim of this joint session is to present the current state of science in both areas of research and to improve our understanding of the processes of glacier change, using detailed observations of the distribution of glaciers and the changes they have undergone since the LIA. This interval of worldwide, but asynchronous, glacier advances (ca. 1300–1900 CE) is of major significance because it offers a unique snapshot of the “natural”, pre-industrial state of the cryosphere, before the global glacier decline resulting from human-caused climate change. The studies presented in this session employ diverse methods and data sources, such as geochronology and remote sensing, and utilise field observations, satellite, instrumental, historical, pictorial, and other records. A specific focus of the presented research is on (i) strengths and limitations of different types of data for regional to global-scale assessments, (ii) uncertainty assessments, (iii) achieving better temporal resolution and spatial coverage, and (iv) improved process understanding by combining datasets across scales.

Observing the cryosphere is vital for understanding its impacts in past, current, and future climates. Over the last decade, advances in remote- and close-sensing technologies have facilitated observations of the cryosphere at increasingly high temporal and spatial scales. Remote sensing, now in the ‘Big Data’ era, is characterised by the availability of petabytes of satellite data, facilitating observations of the cryosphere in near real-time spanning several decades and entire ice-sheets. Meanwhile, close sensing technologies offer measurements at extremely high spatial (millimetre to metre scale) and temporal (minutes to days) resolutions, allowing the monitoring and observation of finer details of processes such as iceberg calving, snow and ice albedo, rock glacier dynamics and glacial lake drainage and outburst events.

Recent developments in data processing techniques, such as cloud-optimised geoprocessing platforms (e.g. Google Earth Engine, Microsoft Planetary Computer, and community JupyterHubs) support a rapid advance of monitoring the cryosphere. The increasing use of large-scale data pipelines and machine/deep learning methods allow for large-scale monitoring of entire ice sheets, periglacial landscapes, changing sea ice extents/concentrations, and glaciated regions. Simultaneously, close-range sensors (e.g. radar, LiDAR, photogrammetry, and UAV’s) compliment these big data approaches by providing crucial data at more localised scales, particularly in those environments characterised by complex topography, which are commonplace across the cryosphere. This session looks to bring together the remote- and close-sensing communities, to better understand the recent advances in technology and its applications, and discuss opportunities and challenges.

We strongly welcome case studies from all parts of the cryosphere, including glaciers (both land-based or calving), ice sheets, snow and firn, glacial and periglacial environments, and sea ice.

Radar is a prominent tool to study ice on Earth and is quickly becoming widespread in the study of other planetary bodies. In this session, we hope to bring together all those interested in radar to showcase their work, take inspiration from each other and develop new interdisciplinary collaborations. We aim for this session to encompass many targets, instruments and applications, including:

Targets: snow, firn, land ice, sea ice, lake ice, river ice and permafrost on Earth as well as the surfaces and interiors of Mars, Europa, The Moon, Titan, Venus, Small bodies, etc.
Instruments: airborne and spaceborne sounders, altimeters, SAR and passive microwave radiometers as well as drones, GPR, ApRES and other stationary radars, etc.
Acquisition and processing: hardware, passive measurements, datasets, algorithm development, etc.
Analysis and Interpretation techniques: reflectometry, interferometry, thermometry, specularity, EM simulations, etc.
Applications: surface-, englacial and basal structure, roughness, hydrology, geothermal heat flux, material properties, modeling, Earth and extraterrestrial synergies, etc.

We especially encourage the participation of Early Career Researchers and those from underrepresented groups.

This interdisciplinary session brings together modelers, observationalists, and data scientists to present results and exchange knowledge and experience in the use of data assimilation and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in the cryospheric sciences. With advances in observation and computing power, massive data from satellite observations, reanalysis, and simulations have pushed the cryosphere community, historically limited by scarcity of observations, into the era of big data. A large potential for future developments lies at the intersection of observations, models, and AI with the aim to improve prognostic capabilities in space and time.
We invite contributions from a wide range of methodological and topical backgrounds that bring new insights into cryospheric science. The topics span permafrost, sea ice, snow, glaciers, and ice sheets, covering both state characterization, process understanding, and prediction aspects.
The methods include satellite observations and AI-based data products from remote sensing, deep-looking geophysical methods, data assimilation, inverse methods and advancements in numerical techniques, geostatistics, machine learning, AI-based parameter retrieval, AI small scale physics parameterizations coupled to numerical models to enhance cryosphere simulations, and more.

Process-level understanding of cryospheric processes is traditionally developed using field-based techniques and earth observation, and future predictions of the state of the cryosphere are usually made using process-based physical or empirical models. In recent years however, data science, machine learning and AI have emerged as a powerful set of tools in Earth system science to complement these traditional techniques. Moreover, the fusion of observations with (typically) mechanistic models through data assimilation (DA) and inverse modeling (IM) has emerged as a promising tool to help infer the state and predict the fate of the terrestrial cryosphere.
Examples of scientific advances achieved using these methods include, but are not limited to, robustly combining data streams into hybrid products, exploring and characterising uncertainty, using physics-informed machine learning methods to improve our understanding of key physical processes, exploiting deep learning to extract new information from earth observation data, implementations of DA/IM techniques for monitoring elements of the cryosphere, describing interactions between observations and process models and exploiting coupled data-process modelling to predict future changes with maximum fidelity.
Here we welcome contributions from anyone using this emerging technology to develop new insight into the physical processes, or produce new forecasts into the future behavior of, cryospheric systems such as ice sheets, ice shelves, sea ice and glaciers.

Our planet is shaped by a multitude of physical, chemical and biological processes. Most of these processes and their effect on the ground’s properties can be sensed by seismic instruments – as discrete events or continuous signatures. Seismic methods have been developed, adopted, and advanced to study those dynamics at or near the surface of the earth, with unprecedented detail, completeness, and resolution. The community of geophysicists interested in Earth surface dynamics and geomorphologists, glaciologists, hydrologists, volcanologists, geochemists, biologists or engineering geologists interested in using arising geophysical tools and techniques is progressively growing and collaboratively advancing the emerging scientific discipline Environmental Seismology.

If you are interested in contributing to or getting to know the latest methodological and theoretical developments, field and lab scale experimental outcomes, and the broad range of applications in geomorphology, glaciology, hydrology, meteorology, engineering geology, volcanology and natural hazards, then this session would be your choice. We anticipate a lively discussion about standing questions in Earth surface dynamics research and how seismic methods could help solving them. We will debate about community based research opportunities and are looking forward to bringing together transdisciplinary knowledge and mutual curiosity.

Topical keywords: erosion, transient, landslide, rockfall, debris flow, fracturing, stress, granular flow, rock mechanics, snow avalanche, calving, icequake, basal motion, subglacial, karst, bedload, flood, GLOF, early warning, coast, tsunami, eruption, tremor, turbidity current, groundwater, soil moisture, noise, dv/v, HVSR, fundamental frequency, polarization, array, DAS, infrasound, machine learning, classification, experiment, signal processing.

We are happy to announce our solicited speakers Emma Pearce and Florent Gimbert!

Recent advances in image collection, e.g. using unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs), and topographic measurements, e.g. using terrestrial or airborne LiDAR, are providing an unprecedented insight into landscape and process characterization in geosciences. In parallel, historical data including terrestrial, aerial, and satellite photos as well as historical digital elevation models (DEMs), can extend high-resolution time series and offer exciting potential to distinguish anthropogenic from natural causes of environmental change and to reconstruct the long-term evolution of the surface from local to regional scale.
For both historic and contemporary scenarios, the rise of techniques with ‘structure from motion’ (SfM) processing has democratized data processing and offers a new measurement paradigm to geoscientists. Photogrammetric and remote sensing data are now available on spatial scales from millimetres to kilometres and over durations of single events to lasting time series (e.g. from sub-second to decadal-duration time-lapse), allowing the evaluation of event magnitude and frequency interrelationships.
The session welcomes contributions from a broad range of geoscience disciplines such as geomorphology, cryosphere, volcanology, hydrology, bio-geosciences, and geology, addressing methodological and applied studies. Our goal is to create a diversified and interdisciplinary session to explore the potential, limitations, and challenges of topographic and orthoimage datasets for the reconstruction and interpretation of past and present 2D and 3D changes in different environments and processes. We further encourage contributions describing workflows that optimize data acquisition and processing to guarantee acceptable accuracies and to automate data application (e.g. geomorphic feature detection and tracking), and field-based experimental studies using novel multi-instrument and multi-scale methodologies. This session invites contributions on the state of the art and the latest developments in i) modern photogrammetric and topographic measurements, ii) remote sensing techniques as well as applications, iii) time-series processing and analysis, and iv) modelling and data processing tools, for instance, using machine learning approaches.

Over the last 1.5 Myr, the rhythm of Earth’s glaciations changed from a 40 kyr to a 100 kyr periodicity, crossing the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT). This transition does not follow directly from Milankovitch theory. Against the background of ongoing deep ice drilling projects and blue ice studies in Antarctica, we encourage the broader paleo community to show their latest results on the glacial dynamics of the 40 kyr and 100 kyr worlds, and the MPT. We invite presentations on proxy studies of paleo-environmental conditions and processes, as well as model studies providing insight into the dynamics and drivers of the Earth climate system . This session is supported by Beyond EPICA-Oldest Ice and COLDEX.

The dynamic response of the solid Earth to the waxing and waning of ice sheets and corresponding spatial and temporal sea-level changes is termed Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). This process, like solid Earth tides, oceanic load tide, other short-period surface loading (e.g., continental water), and normal-mode oscillations, causes surface deformation and changes in the gravity field, rotation, and stress state of the Earth. Different types of observational data, now standardized, help constrain highly sophisticated models of the Earth. They also serve as a tool to constrain the rheological properties of the Earth.

We aim to bring together researchers working on GIA, body tides, short-period loading problems, and normal modes with the broad goal of using these various processes to better understand the interior of the Earth and other planets across these wide temporal and spatial scales. This session is co-sponsored by the SCAR sub-committee INSTANT-EIS, Earth - Ice - Sea level, in view of instabilities and thresholds in Antarctica (https://www.scar.org/science/instant/home/).

Snow cover characteristics (e.g., spatial distribution, surface and internal physical properties) are continuously evolving over a wide range of scales due to meteorological conditions, such as precipitation, wind, and radiation.
Most processes occurring in the snow cover depend on the vertical and horizontal distribution of its physical properties, which are primarily controlled by the microstructure of snow (e.g., density and specific surface area). In turn, snow metamorphism changes the microstructure, leading to feedback loops that affect the snow cover on coarser scales. This can have far-reaching implications for a wide range of applications, including snow hydrology, weather forecasting, climate modelling, avalanche hazard forecasting, and the remote sensing of snow. The characterization of snow thus demands synergetic investigations of the hierarchy of processes across the scales, ranging from explicit microstructure-based studies to sub-grid parameterizations for unresolved processes in large-scale phenomena (e.g., albedo and drifting snow).

This session is therefore devoted to modelling and measuring snow processes across scales. The aim is to gather researchers from various disciplines to share their expertise on snow processes in seasonal and perennial snowpacks. We invite contributions ranging from “small” scales, as encountered in microstructure studies, over “intermediate” scales typically relevant for 1D snowpack models, up to “coarse” scales, that typically emerge for spatially distributed modelling over mountainous or polar snow- and ice-covered regions. Specifically, we welcome contributions reporting results from field, laboratory, and numerical studies of the physical and chemical evolution of snowpacks. We also welcome contributions reporting statistical or dynamic downscaling methods of atmospheric driving data, representation of sub-grid processes in coarse-scale models, and evaluation of model performance and associated uncertainties.

Although snow may evoke pleasant childhood memories for many, it can also pose various hazards. Some common hazards associated with snowfall and accumulation include (1) disruption of traffic lines due to snow accumulations or bad visibility, (2) damage to infrastructure, such as buildings or power lines, from snow loads or snow creep, (3) (3) flooding due to rapid snowmelt and rain-on-snow, and (4) snow avalanches that can damage infrastructure or cause loss of life. In all these cases, the presence and accumulation of snow are key factors contributing to the hazards, and it is essential to recognize the impact these hazards can have, to better predict their occurrence and mitigate their risks.

The aim of this session is thus to improve our understanding of processes responsible for snow and avalanche hazards and share solutions to monitor and mitigate their impact. We welcome contributions from novel field, laboratory, and numerical studies as well as specific case studies. Topics relevant to snow and avalanche hazards include, but are not limited to, monitoring and predicting snowfall, drifting or blowing snow, meteorological driving factors, snow cover simulations, snow mechanics, avalanche formation and dynamics, forecasting and the impact of climate change.

Snow constitutes a freshwater resource for over a billion people world-wide. A high percentage of this water resource mainly comes from seasonal snow located in mid-latitude regions. The current warming situation alerts that these snow water storages are in high risk of being dramatically reduced, affecting not only the water supply but also the ecosystems of these areas. Therefore, understanding seasonal snow dynamics, its possible changes and their implications have become crucial for water resources management.

Remote sensing has been used for decades as the primary technique to monitor snow properties and their hydrological implications across scales. The recent technical advances favoured the study of snow properties at finer spatio-temporal resolution, helping to understand better the snow dynamics (e.g., the interaction of snow with small-scale, quick snow changes within a day, rain on snow events, snow-vegetation interaction).

This session focuses on studies linking the use of remote sensing of seasonal snow to hydrological applications with the aim of: (i) better quantifying snow characteristics (i.e., snow grain size, snow depth, albedo, pollution load, snow specific area, liquid water content and snow density), (ii) understanding snow-related processes and dynamics (snowfall, melting, evaporation, wind redistribution and sublimation), (iii) improving snow modelling and, (iv) assessing snow hydrological impacts and snow environmental effects. Works covering techniques and data from different technologies (time-lapse imagery, laser scanners, radar, optical photography, thermal and hyperspectral technologies, or other new applications), different spatial scales (from the plot to the global), and temporal scales (from instantaneous to multiyear), are welcome.

Geological materials such as ice and olivine are often modelled as viscous fluids at the large scale. However, they have complex, evolving microstructures which are not present in normal fluids, and these can have a significant impact on large-scale flow behaviour. These different materials have many commonalities in how the evolving microstructure influences the large scale flow, yet research is often siloed into individual disciplines.

With this session, we aim to bring together researchers from a range of disciplines, studying a variety of anisotropic materials, and working on different aspects of complex viscous flow such as: viscous anisotropy related to CPO or extrinsic microstructures; crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) or fabric evolution; other controls on rheology such as grain size, dynamic recrystallisation and deformation mechanisms; and impact of rheology on complex flow, e.g. in the transition through a shear margin.

We encourage submissions investigating this topic through numerical modelling, laboratory experiments and observational studies. We are aiming to convene an inclusive and collaborative session, and invite contributions from all disciplines. We particularly encourage early career researchers to participate.

The decline of the cryosphere, from glaciers and permafrost, to sea ice and snowpacks, has manifold impacts for the environment, ecosystems, and society. For example, changing meltwater regimes and release of stored contaminants are important considerations for both water quantity and quality, while sediment transport from glaciated catchments has consequences for nutrient cycling, downstream habitats, agriculture, and industry. Changing landscapes and associated hazards also feed into socio-cultural pressures and risk, and lead to changes in the ways people interact with these environments. The impacts of cryospheric change across different regions worldwide are thus crucial to explore in a multidisciplinary context, and to communicate effectively with researchers, the public, and stakeholder groups alike.

To address the impacts of the loss of cryosphere, natural and social scientists must work together, and in concert with the people and businesses who live with, and rely on, the cryosphere at high latitudes and high mountain regions. This session provides a platform for insights and discussion of the consequences and impacts of global cryospheric decline, with a broad and inclusive focus. We invite contributions including but not restricted to topics such as loss and damage, adaptation to cryospheric hazards, biodiversity impacts, environmental quality, and resource security. We particularly welcome research that spans disciplinary boundaries, bridging subjects such as cryospheric science, human geography, hydrology, and ecology.

The interactions between the atmosphere, ocean and ice play an important role in shaping the polar climates. However, existing knowledge of the physical, chemical, and biogeochemical processes that underly the exchanges of mass, energy and momentum between these components remain poorly understood.

Closing knowledge gaps on the interactions between the atmosphere, ocean and ice can considerably advance our ability to understand recent changes, and anticipate future changes in the Arctic and Antarctic climate systems. In particular, closing these knowledge gaps will improve our ability to represent them in our modelling systems and increase confidence in projections of future climate change in the polar regions.

This session will highlight 1) recent advances in our knowledge of atmosphere-ocean-ice interactions and 2) new and emerging tools and datasets that can close these knowledge gaps.

We welcome observational and numerical modelling studies of physical and chemical atmospheric and ocean processes that underly interactions in the coupled climate system in both the Arctic and Antarctic. This includes but is not limited to:

Cloud microphysics and aerosol-cloud interactions, and their role in the coupled system;
Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) dynamics and its interactions with the ice surface;
Sea ice dynamics and thermodynamics, e.g. wind driven sea-ice drift, snow on ice;
Upper ocean mixing processes;
Sea ice biogeochemistry and interactions at interfaces with sea ice;
Snow on ice and it’s role in the coupled ocean-ice-atmosphere system;
Surface energy budget of the coupled system, including contributions of ABL-dependent turbulent fluxes, clouds and radiative fluxes, precipitation and factors controlling snow/ice albedo.
Presentations showcasing recent or emerging tools, observational campaigns, or remote sensing datasets are encouraged.

The icy moons of our Solar System are prime targets for the search for extraterrestrial life. Moons such as Saturn's Enceladus and Jupiter's Europa are considered potential habitats because of their subglacial water oceans, which are in direct contact with the rocks below. Titan, with its potential subsurface ocean, icy surface and methane-based weather, could provide an analogue for a primordial earth and the circumstances in which life developed. To assess the habitability and sample the oceans of these moons, several approaches are being discussed, including water plume surveys on Europa and Enceladus, as well as developing key technologies to penetrate the ice and even study the ocean itself with autonomous underwater vehicles, if the ice is thin enough. Moreover, a key aspect of habitability is linked with the geological processes acting on these moons. The main questions that this session aims to address are the following:
- What can we learn from analogue studies on Earth?
- What are the properties of the ice shell and how do they evolve?
- How will planned missions to these bodies contribute to furthering our understanding?
- What measurements should be conducted by future missions?

The goal of this multidisciplinary session is to bring together scientists from different fields, including planetary sciences and the cryosphere community, to discuss the current status and next steps in the remote and in-situ exploration of the icy moons of our solar system. We welcome contributions from analogue studies, on the results of current and past missions, planned missions, mission concepts, lessons learned from other missions, and more. Contributions bridging the cryosphere-icy moons communities are of particular interest to this session.

The polar regions of Mars are key to understand the planet's climate dynamics, geological activity, and thermal state of the interior, as well as their interactions. The geologically young polar caps of Mars are shaped by the atmospheric-ice interaction and are the most active regions on the planet. Similarly to Earth, Mars undergoes obliquity-driven climatic cycles leading to ice ages and irradiation-driven seasonal cycles causing the deposition and sublimation of CO2 ice. The large-time-scale cycles are recorded in the ice caps’ structure, whereas the seasonal ones are mainly observed from current surface changes with multi-temporal imaging.

Radar measurements have been combined with climate and geophysical models to determine the structure and composition of the Martian polar caps, and to provide constraints on the climate history and present–day heat flow of Mars. Additional clues come from bright radar reflections at the Martian south polar region that have been attributed to the presence of potentially liquid brines. Geodetic observations can unlock crucial information about geology, climate change, hydrology, geochemistry, and more. While geodesy at Earth and Moon has flourished with the GRACE, GOCE, and GRAIL gravity mapping missions, geodesy at Mars has lagged behind. New geodetic data from a dedicated gravity mapping mission could be used to locate hidden water resources on Mars, elucidate the nature of Martian crustal dichotomy as well as reveal the connections between Martian climate and orbital dynamics.


This session brings together planetary science, cryosphere, geodesy, and geodynamics communities to address past and present-day geological, geophysical, and atmospheric processes at the polar regions on Mars. Furthermore, this session aims to explore the scientific gain from the next generation gravimetry at Mars as well as to start the discussion on measurement requirements necessary to create a lasting benefit. We welcome contributions that include but are not limited to numerical modeling, geological investigations, ice dynamics and atmospheric processes, remote sensing data, as well as studies of Earth analogs and laboratory experiments. Of particular interest are studies that address the interactions between ice, atmosphere, and thermal state of the lithosphere at the polar regions on Mars.

Clouds play an important role in the Polar climate due to their interaction with radiation and their role in the hydrological cycle linking poleward water vapour transport with precipitation. Cloud and precipitation properties depend on the atmospheric dynamics and moisture sources and transport, as well as on aerosol particles, which can act as cloud condensation and ice nuclei. These processes are complex and are not well represented in the models. While measurements of cloud and precipitation microphysical properties in the Arctic and Antarctic regions are challenging, they are highly needed to evaluate and improve cloud processes representation in the models used for polar and global climate and cryosphere projections.

This session aims at bringing together researchers using observational and/or modeling approaches (at various scales) to improve our understanding of polar tropospheric clouds, precipitation, and related mechanisms and impacts. Contributions are invited on various relevant processes including (but not limited to):
- Drivers of cloud/precipitation microphysics at high latitudes,
- Sources of cloud nuclei both at local and long range,
- Linkages of polar clouds/precipitation to the moisture sources and transport, including including extreme transport events (e.g., atmospheric rivers, moisture intrusions),
- Relationship of moisture/cloud/precipitation processes to the atmospheric dynamics, ranging from synoptic and meso-scale processes to teleconnections and climate indices,
- Interactions between clouds and radiation, including impacts on the surface energy balance,
- Impacts that the clouds/precipitation in the Polar Regions have on the polar and global climate system, surface mass and energy balance, sea ice and ecosystems.

Papers including new methodologies specific to polar regions are encouraged, such as (i) improving polar cloud/precipitation parameterizations in atmospheric models, moisture transport events detection and attribution methods specifically in the high latitudes, and (ii) advancing observations of polar clouds and precipitation. We would like to emphasize collaborative observational and modeling activities, such as the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP), Polar-CORDEX, the (AC)3 project on Arctic Amplification, MOSAiC and other measurement campaigns in the Arctic and Southern Ocean/Antarctica and encourage related contributions.

The interactions between aerosols, climate, weather, and society are among the large uncertainties of current atmospheric research. Mineral dust is an important natural source of aerosol with significant implications on radiation, cloud microphysics, atmospheric chemistry, and the carbon cycle via the fertilization of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Together with other light-absorbing particles, dust
impacts snow and ice albedo and can accelerate glacier melt. In addition, properties of dust deposited in sediments and ice cores are important (paleo-)climate indicators.

This interdivisional session -- building bridges between the EGU divisions AS, CL, CR, SSP, BG and GM -- had its first edition in 2004 and it is open to contributions dealing with:

(1) measurements of all aspects of the dust cycle (emission, transport, deposition, size distribution, particle characteristics) with in situ and remote sensing techniques,
(2) numerical simulations of dust on global, regional, and local scales,
(3) meteorological conditions for dust storms, dust transport and deposition,
(4) interactions of dust with clouds and radiation,
(5) influence of dust on atmospheric chemistry,
(6) fertilization of ecosystems through dust deposition,
(7) interactions with the cryosphere, including also aerosols other than dust,
(8) any study using dust as a (paleo-)climate indicator, including sediment archives in loess, ice cores, lake sediments, ocean sediments and dunes,
(9) impacts of dust on climate and climate change, and associated feedbacks and uncertainties,
(10) implications of dust for health, transport, energy systems, agriculture, infrastructure, etc.

We especially encourage the submission of papers that integrate different disciplines and/or address the modelling of past, present, and future climates.

Solicited speaker: Keri Nicoll, University of Reading, "Recent developments in dust electrification research"

The polar climate system is strongly affected by interactions between the atmosphere and the cryosphere. Processes that exchange heat, moisture and momentum between land ice, sea ice and the atmosphere, such as katabatic winds, blowing snow, ice melt, polynya formation and sea ice transport, play an important role in local-to-global processes. Atmosphere-ice interactions are also triggered by synoptic weather phenomena such as cold air outbreaks, polar lows, atmospheric rivers, Foehn winds and heatwaves. However, our understanding of these processes is still incomplete. Despite being a crucial milestone for reaching accurate projections of future climate change in Polar Regions, deciphering the interplay between the atmosphere, land ice and sea ice on different spatial and temporal scales, remains a major challenge.
This session aims at showcasing recent research progress and augmenting existing knowledge in polar meteorology and climate and the atmosphere-land ice-sea ice coupling in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It will provide a setting to foster discussion and help identify gaps, tools, and studies that can be designed to address these open questions. It is also the opportunity to convey newly acquired knowledge to the community.
We invite contributions on all observational and numerical modelling aspects of Arctic and Antarctic meteorology and climatology, that address atmospheric interactions with the cryosphere. This may include but is not limited to studies on past, present and future of:
- Atmospheric processes that influence sea-ice (snow on sea ice, sea ice melt, polynya formation and sea ice production and transport) and associated feedbacks,
- The variability of the polar large-scale atmospheric circulation (such as polar jets, the circumpolar trough and storm tracks) and impact on the cryosphere (sea ice and land ice),
- Atmosphere-ice interactions triggered by synoptic and mesoscale weather phenomena such as cold air outbreaks, katabatic winds, extratropical cyclones, polar cyclones, atmospheric rivers, Foehn winds and heatwaves,
- Role of clouds in polar climate and impact on the land ice and sea ice through interactions with radiation,
- Teleconnections and climate indices and their role in land ice/sea ice variability.

Fieldwork is essential in geoscience, it provides direct and practical experiences, produces valuable data, validates hypotheses, contextualizes findings, encourages discovery, and helps to understand and eventually solve real-world challenges. It is the foundation upon which a significant part of geoscience research and understanding is built. This session is dedicated to exploring the broad range of fieldwork-related topics for education and research. It also provides a safe space to exchange ideas for inclusive fieldwork.
Topics evolve around the organizational and financial aspects of fieldwork, including working with local communities and utilizing and sharing existing infrastructure and expertise both inside and outside of institutions. The session is also open to presenting novel methods for conducting and teaching fieldwork in a safe and welcoming manner. Best practices for managing the field crew, addressing stigmatized subjects (personal hygiene, safety gear, and work attire), and taking into account different needs are a few examples of this.
An additional focus is the utilisation of virtual field models such as digital Outcrop models and their evaluation showcasing features like seamless zooming, rotation, and measurement tools for geological exploration. These models enhance virtual fieldwork for education and professionals, promoting inclusivity and providing access to geological standards and conservation areas. The future focus involves integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning for advanced geological analysis.
This session invites everyone to share their insight about how to conduct scientifically relevant fieldwork in an inclusive, safe, and fun way for every scientist in geoscience.

Climate change represents one of the defining societal challenges of the 21st century. However, the response to this challenge remains largely inadequate across the board. Adaptation or mitigation measures taken by countries or companies fall short of what is required to ensure a safe and healthy life for populations around the globe, both today and in the future. The shortfall in climate action has led to a sharp increase in climate lawsuits globally, either to receive compensation for suffered climate damages or to force decision makers to commit to the necessary emissions reductions. In this session, we invite contributions that help bridge the communication gap between science and law in the courtroom. Contributions can include outreach or communication efforts, new scientific methods that can support legal efforts, and inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives on how to integrate geoscience insights in litigation. We also welcome contributions that reflect on how questions of climate change and impact attribution, responsibility, human rights, and burden sharing of efforts can be effectively translated across disciplinary boundaries.

Dynamic phenomena in geoscientific systems are often characterized by observational or modelled time series or spatio-temporal data, exhibiting nonlinear multiscale behavior in both time and space. Over the past decades, significant advancements have been made in dynamical system theory, information theory, and stochastic approaches. These developments have provided valuable insights into a wide range of phenomena, such as weather and climate dynamics, turbulence in fluids and plasmas, and chaos in dynamical systems.
In this short course, we will present an overview of contemporary topics that employ complex systems-based approaches in the geosciences. We will explore successful applications across the geosciences, including climate change. Our primary focus will be on understanding tipping points and early warning indicators associated with them, identifying causal relationships among sets of observables, and integrating these approaches within a multi-scale dynamical framework. By employing these data analysis tools, various aspects of both recurrent and emergent physical processes can be investigated.

The climate is highly variable over wide ranges of scale in both space and time so that the amplitude of changes systematically depends on the scale of observations. As a consequence, climate variations recorded in time series or spatial distributions, which are produced through modelling or empirical analyses are inextricably linked to their space-time scales and is a significant part of the uncertainties in the proxy approaches. Rather than treating the variability as a limitation to our knowledge, as a distraction from mechanistic explanations and theories, in this course the variability is treated as an important, fundamental aspect of the climate dynamics that must be understood and modelled in its own right. Long considered as no more than an uninteresting spectral “background”, modern data shows that in fact it contains most of the variance.

We review techniques that make it possible to systematically analyse and model the variability of instrumental and proxy data, the inferred climate variables and the outputs of GCM’s. A serious but typical paleo problem is that the chronologies are irregular at all scales, indeed they they are typically scaling. We discuss analyses that can handle this problem and enable us to cover wide ranges of scale in both space and in time - and jointly in space-time - without trivializing the links between the measurements, proxies and the state variables (temperature, precipitation etc.).

Scaling analyses allow us to systematically allow us to compare model outputs with data, to understand the climate processes from small to large and from fast to slow. Specific tools that will be covered include spectral analysis, scaling fluctuation analysis, wavelets, fractals, multifractals, and stochastic modeling; we discuss corresponding software. We also include new developments in the Fractional Energy Balance Equation approach that combines energy and scale symmetries. In this’s short course we add material on the long term megaclimate (>1Myr) (geo-biology) regime.

Ever since the development of the first cosmogenic nuclide method has been developed in the 40s (radiocarbon dating) a new discipline for Earth surface investigations has been created. At the end of the 60s Lal and peters (1967) have described that cosmic rays penetrated the upper few meters of the lithosphere, where they created rare elements. The advances of the AMS technique in the 80s and the development of the physical bases of the in situ production of cosmogenic nuclides in the 90s (Lal, 1991) opened a wide window to their application in earth sciences. Today, we have a variety of terrestrial in situ produced cosmogenic nuclides(TCN) (3He, 10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, 21Ne, 14C) at our disposal to answer prevailing questions in geomorphology, structural geology, glaciology, pedology, archeology or anthropology. Cosmogenic nuclides have been used to directly determine the timing of events and rates of change in the Earth’s surface by measuring their concentration in rocks, sediments, and soils. The technique has been widely adopted by the geomorphic community because it can be used on a wide range of landforms, lithologies and across a broad spectrum of time and space scales. Moreover, their application is also relevant for different Earth Science communities interested in quantifying the long- and short-term surface evolution. Indeed, the application of TCNs have been successfully applied to determine erosion/ denudation rates; age determination of geomorphic surfaces; burial events; quantification of incision and uplift rates; soil dynamics; and palaeo-altimetric changes.

The short course offers a brief outline of the theory and application of TCNs to Earth’s surface in different morpho-tectonic settings. The aim is to provide background information and basic knowledge of how to apply such a method.

Data assimilation (DA) is widely used in the study of the atmosphere, the ocean, the land surface, hydrological processes, etc. The powerful technique combines prior information from numerical model simulations with observations to provide a better estimate of the state of the system than either the data or the model alone. This short course will introduce participants to the basics of data assimilation, including the theory and its applications to various disciplines of geoscience. An interactive hands-on example of building a data assimilation system based on a simple numerical model will be given. This will prepare participants to build a data assimilation system for their own numerical models at a later stage after the course.

In summary, the short course introduces the following topics:

(1) DA theory, including basic concepts and selected methodologies.
(2) Examples of DA applications in various geoscience fields.
(3) Hands-on exercise in applying data assimilation to an example numerical model using open-source software.

This short course is aimed at people who are interested in data assimilation but do not necessarily have experience in data assimilation, in particular early career scientists (BSc, MSc, PhD students and postdocs) and people who are new to data assimilation.