Plenary geomorphology division session and ECS award lecture. This session will consist of the Geomorphology Early Career Scientist Award winner’s lecture and additional invited talks on related topics. More information when the ECS award winner is announced.

This is a poster-only session that welcomes contributions about any topic related to geomorphology. If you do not find a GM session that’s a good fit for your abstract, this is the place for you. We also particularly welcome contributions about the discipline of geomorphology in general, history of science analyses, interdisciplinary research, career pathways and opportunities, equality-diversity-inclusion (EDI) stories, educational and outreach topics.

Nature based solution(NbS) and eco-engineering have become key concepts in ecosystem restoration and natural hazard protection. Both concepts often build on fundamental biogeomorphic knowledge of two-way abiotic-biotic environmental interactions and feedbacks, which shape landscapes at various spatiotemporal scales. Thus, nature based solutions and eco-engineering can only work through integrating concepts from ecology, (evolutionary) biology, hydraulics, engineering, geomorphology, geology and quaternary science (amongst other disciplines).

This session combines fundamental biogeomorphic studies with applied studies on nature based solutions and eco-engineering. In the biogeomorphic studies, there is a focus on studies coming from a soil, hydrological and geomorphic perspective, which includes biogeomorphic processes, rates and feedbacks, organism-habitat interaction, biota as ecosystem engineers, biogeomorphology as a driver of nutrient and pollutant transport, and biogeomorphology as a tool to sustainably manage natural systems and hazards.

The NbS studies provide examples covering a large range of cases and possibilities, ranging from, but not limited to, sponge cities and green construction material to carbon accounting and biochar. One focus lies ‘ecosystem services’, another on ‘ecological engineering’, the latter being an established discipline that focuses on the design that exploits ecological elements and ecosystems for the benefit of both humans and nature. In a new, holistic approach to problem-solving, it focuses on the adoption of systems thinking and of circularity in problem-solving methodology towards re-establishing material cycles to deal with resource scarcity and expanding the nature-based toolbox using ecosystem services and renewable resources. This session discusses and analyzes these key concepts, benefits, and applications of modern ecological engineering.

Overall, this session includes innovative methods such as artificial intelligence, field and laboratory tests, remote sensing, numerical modelling etc. The NbS approach has proven its usefulness for addressing complex challenges while promoting the conservation and restoration of natural systems and cycles. As the global community strives to find holistic solutions to pressing ecological and societal issues, NbS has the potential to provide valuable pathways to re-balance the relationship between human activities and the environment.

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!

Sediment transport is a fundamental component of all geomorphic systems (including fluvial, aeolian, coastal, hillslopes and glacial), yet it is something that we still find surprisingly difficult both to monitor and to model. Robust data on where and how sediment transport occurs are needed to address outstanding research questions, including the spatial and temporal controls on critical shear stress, the influence of varying grain size distributions, and the impact of large magnitude events. Recent developments have provided a) new opportunities for measuring sediment transport in the field; and b) new ways to represent sediment transport in both physical laboratory models and in numerical models. These developments include (but are not limited to) the application of techniques such as seismic and acoustic monitoring, 3D imaging (e.g. CT and MRI scanning), deployment of sensors such as accelerometers, replication of field topography using 3D printing, use of luminescence as a sediment tracer, remote sensing of turbidity, discrete numerical modelling, and new statistical approaches.

In this session we welcome contributions from all areas of geomorphology that develop new methods for monitoring and modelling all types of sediment transport, or that showcase an application of such methods. Contributions from ECRs and underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged.

Over recent decades, geochronological techniques such as cosmogenic nuclides, thermochronology, radiocarbon and luminescence dating have improved in accuracy, precision and temporal range. Developments in geochronological methods, data treatment and landscape evolution models have provided new insights into the timing, rates and magnitude of earth surface processes. The combination of geochronological data from different techniques with numerical modelling has enormous potential for improving our understanding of landscape evolution.

This session includes studies ranging from erosion rates, sediment provenance, burial and transport times, bedrock exposure, cooling histories, landscape dynamics to technical developments and novel applications of key Quaternary geochronometers such as cosmogenic nuclides and luminescence. We welcome contributions that apply novel geochronological methods, that combine geochronological techniques with numerical modelling or landscape evolution analyses, and that highlight the latest developments and open questions in the application of geochronometers to landscape evolution problems.

Transport of sediments in geophysical flows occurs in mountainous, fluvial, estuarine, coastal, aeolian and other natural or man-made environments on Earth, while also shapes the surface of planets such as Mars, Titan, and Venus. Understanding the motion of sediments is still one of the most fundamental problems in hydrological and geophysical sciences. Such processes can vary across a wide range of scales - from the particle to the landscape - which can directly impact both the form (geomorphology) and, on Earth, the function (ecology and biology) of natural systems and the built infrastructure surrounding them. In particular, feedback between fluid and sediment transport as well as interparticle interactions including size sorting are a key processes in surface dynamics, finding a range of important applications, from hydraulic engineering and natural hazard mitigation to landscape evolution and river ecology.

Specific topics of interest include (but are not restricted to):

A) particle-scale interactions and transport processes:
- mechanics of entrainment and disentrainment (for fluvial and aeolian flows)
- dry granular flows
- momentum (turbulent impulses) and energy transfer between turbulent flows and particles
- upscaling and averaging techniques for stochastic transport processes
- interaction among grain sizes in poorly sorted mixtures, including particle segregation

B) reach-scale sediment transport and geomorphic processes
- links between flow, particle transport, bedforms and stratigraphy
- discrete element modelling of transport processes and upscaling into continuum frameworks
- derivation and solution of equations for multiphase flows (including fluvial and aeolian flows)
- shallow water hydro-sediment-morphodynamic processes
- scouring around structures

C) large-scale, highly unsteady and complex water-sediment flows:
- flash floods, debris flows and landslides due to extreme rainfall
- natural and build dam failures and compound disasters (due to landslides, debris flow intrusion and downstream flooding)
- reservoir operation schemes and corresponding fluvial processes
- design of hydraulic structures such as fish passages, dam spillways, also considering the impact of sediment
- dredging, maintenance and regulation for large rivers and navigational waterways

This session is promoted by the IAHR committee on Experimental Methods and Instrumentation.

The Quaternary Period (last 2.6 million years) is characterized by frequent and abrupt climate swings that were accompanied by rapid environmental change. Studying these changes requires accurate and precise dating methods that can be effectively applied to environmental archives. A range of different methods or a combination of various dating techniques can be used, depending on the archive, time range, and research question. Varve counting and dendrochronology allow for the construction of high-resolution chronologies, whereas radiometric methods (radiocarbon, cosmogenic in-situ, U-Th) and luminescence dating provide independent anchors for chronologies that span over longer timescales. We particularly welcome contributions that aim to (1) reduce, quantify and express dating uncertainties in any dating method, including high-resolution radiocarbon approaches; (2) use established geochronological methods to answer new questions; (3) use new methods to address longstanding issues, or; (4) combine different chronometric techniques for improved results, including the analysis of chronological datasets with novel methods, e.g. Bayesian age-depth modeling. Applications may aim to understand long-term landscape evolution, quantify rates of geomorphological processes, or provide chronologies for records of climate change and anthropogenic effects on Earth's system.

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.

Geomorphometry, a science of quantitative land surface analysis, gathers various mathematical, statistical and image processing techniques to quantify morphological, hydrological, ecological and other aspects of a land surface. Geomorphometry and geomorphological mapping are essential tools for understanding landscape processes and dynamics on Earth and other planetary bodies. The rapid growth of available geospatial data available for morphometric analysis and opens up considerable possibilities for morphometric analysis from mapping new landforms to understand the underlying processes. It also presents unique challenges in data processing and analysis.
The typical input to geomorphometric analysis is a square-grid representation of the land surface - a digital elevation model (DEM). Global DEMs and the increasing availability of much finer resolution LiDAR and SFM high-resolution DEMs call for new analytical methods and advanced geo-computation techniques necessary to cope with diverse application contexts. Point clouds have increasing accuracy over complex scenes, characterized by high topographic variation in three (and four) dimensions, generating a shift in geomorphologists’ work.
This session welcomes studies of advanced geo-computation methods, including high-performance and parallel computing implementations. We welcome general, technical and applied studies of geomorphometry applications and landform mapping from any discipline (geomorphology, planetary science, natural hazards, computer science, and Earth observation). Examples are:
- Use of Digital Elevation, Terrain and Surface Models and point clouds
- High-resolution LiDAR, photogrammetry and satellite data
- Automated surface analysis, machine learning, new algorithms
- Earth's and planetary morphometry, surface changes
- Collecting or derivation of geospatial data products
- Tools for extraction and analysis of geomorphometric variables
- Mapping and morphometric analysis of landforms and landscapes
- Modeling natural hazards on the Earth's surface
- Marine Geomorphometry and bathymetry
- Geomorphometry for urban areas and cultural heritage
- Professional and industrial applications of Geomorphometry
Contributions on inter-disciplinary approaches are particularly encouraged. We also welcome professional, commercial and industrial applications of terrain/surface data and geomorphometric techniques, including software packages, to bridge the gap between academic researchers and industry.

The importance of peatlands and their crucial role in the global carbon cycle has come to the fore in the last decade. They provide many of Natures Contributions to People. However, the extent and status of peatlands at national, regional and global scales is not clear. This is due to numerous issues including land use change and conversion, remote locations, lack of data, and differing definitions. This has led to estimates of the global extent of peatlands between 423 to 500 million hectares, and therefore a critical uncertainty in the C stocks stored in peatlands. While there have been advancements in the mapping of peatlands, there needs to be much more focus on identifying these high organic carbon soils. Progress in mapping peatland land use, peat thickness and drainage conditions will also help to fill this knowledge gap. Our knowledge of tropical peatlands remains particularly uncertain due to inadequate data. In a natural condition, tropical peatlands are long-term C stores and support livelihoods, but anthropogenic disturbances (logging, drainage, degradation, agricultural conversion, fire, resource exploration) are increasing in extent. These transformations result in high C loss, reduced C storage, increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, loss of hydrological integrity, peat subsidence and loss, increased risk of fire. For agricultural peatlands, changes in nutrient storage and cycling necessitate fertilizer use, with enhanced emissions of N2O. Under a warming climate, these impacts are likely to intensify and reduce not only the extent of peatlands, but also the benefits to rural communities.

This session addresses all aspects of peatland mapping and tropical peatland science, including top-down and bottom-up peatland mapping and monitoring, the application of new remote sensing techniques and integration of old maps into peatland inventories. For tropical peatlands, we consider not only mapping and monitoring needs, but also the impact of climate on past, present and future peatland formation, accumulation and C dynamics; GHG and nutrient flux dynamics; and management strategies for GHG emissions mitigation and the maintenance or restoration of C sequestration.

Hydrogeomorphic processes may naturally act together or interact in a given space or time, creating cascades. Many regions worldwide are already experiencing an increase in cascading processes, often driven by extreme events, with severe impacts that may worsen under future climatic and environmental changes. The physical response to these cascades is hardly predictable due to their complex nature, the interplay between different predisposing, triggering and controlling factors, and the rarity of these events.
Addressing the hazards and impacts resulting from the combination of multiple processes faces enormous challenges, primarily from a still incomplete process interaction understanding. In addition, expertise is scattered across disciplines (e.g., geomorphology, geology, hydrology, climate sciences) and beyond (e.g., civil engineering, social science). A better understanding of cascading processes under environmental changes and extreme events is of critical importance to deciphering impacts of past environmental changes and to develop and influence policy to face future challenges under a changing climate.

This interdisciplinary session aims to shed light on the current knowledge regarding cascading hydrogeomorphic processes and related hazards and to propose novel frameworks for understanding, monitoring, and modeling their complex feedback and interactions. A particular focus is paid on regions affected by diverse environmental changes and extreme events. We welcome scientific contributions in the domain of cascading processes, including (but not restricted to) the study of the link between extreme climatic forcing and hydrogeomorphic processes, and surface processes complexity, such as connectivity or dis-connectivity between hillslopes and fluvial processes. We welcome studies from all climates and at all temporal scales; from the event scale to the long-term integrated impact of cascading processes on the landscape. We invite contributions showing novel monitoring, experimental, theoretical, conceptual and computational modeling approaches. Proposed management strategies to assess cascading processes-related hazards will also be well received.

Interglacials are warm intervals in Earth's climatic history characterized by high global average temperatures, low land ice extension, and rising sea levels. Geological records from many sites around the globe allow the identification of several interglacials since the late Pliocene, each different in duration, sea level variability and wave intensity. The study of these periods became particularly pertinent to unravel sea-level oscillations, wave regime variations, and refine models of polar ice melting in the near future. Relative sea level (RSL) and wave conditions are reconstructed using sea-level proxies, which are formed in relationship to the past position of sea level (i.e., marine terraces, tidal notches, beach ridge systems, coral reef structures, upper limit of L. lithophaga burrows, storm deposits or elements combined). Although we have a comprehensive understanding of the global sea level dynamics during the current interglacial (Holocene), our knowledge of these dynamics during past interglacials remains limited. Hence, building a synthesis of sea level and wave conditions on a multi-millennial scale could help assess sea level impacts in a future warmer world.
This session invites the international sea level community to present studies broadly related to Plio-Pleistocene interglacials, and in particular on new field data, synthesis and databases, wave conditions proxies, extreme events (i.e., extreme waves, storms, coastal flooding), sea-level reconstructions, and coastal modelling. State-of-the-art of sea-level research during Early to Late Quaternary interglacials and beyond will better constrain projections of potential future warming scenarios. We also welcome contributions on: i) geochronology methods (i.e., U-series dating; Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), Thermoluminescence (TL), infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL), Electron spin resonance dating (ESR) and amino acid racemization (AAR) and ii) remote sensing techniques applied to constrain sea-level proxies both in active and steady tectonic settings.

Extreme hydro-meteorological events drive many hydrologic and geomorphic hazards, such as floods, landslides and debris flows, which pose a significant threat to modern societies on a global scale. The continuous increase of population and urban settlements in hazard-prone areas in combination with evidence of changes in extreme weather events lead to a continuous increase in the risk associated with weather-induced hazards. To improve resilience and to design more effective mitigation strategies, we need to better understand the triggers of these hazards and the related aspects of vulnerability, risk, mitigation and societal response.
This session aims at gathering contributions dealing with various hydro-meteorological hazards that address the aspects of vulnerability analysis, risk estimation, impact assessment, mitigation policies and communication strategies. Specifically, we aim to collect contributions from academia, industry (e.g. insurance) and government agencies (e.g. civil protection) that will help identify the latest developments and ways forward for increasing the resilience of communities at local, regional and national scales, and proposals for improving the interaction between different entities and sciences.
Contributions focusing on, but not limited to, novel developments and findings on the following topics are particularly encouraged:
- Physical and social vulnerability analysis and impact assessment of hydro-meteorological hazards
- Advances in the estimation of socioeconomic risk from hydro-meteorological hazards
- Characteristics of weather and precipitation patterns leading to high-impact events
- Relationship between weather and precipitation patterns and socio-economic impacts
- Socio-hydrological studies of the interplay between hydro-meteorological hazards and societies
- Hazard mitigation procedures
- Strategies for increasing public awareness, preparedness, and self-protective response
- Impact-based forecast, warning systems, and rapid damage assessment.
- Insurance and reinsurance applications

Large mass movements in rock, debris and ice in glacial masses, represent enormous risks. These complex systems are difficult to describe, investigate, monitor and model. Hence a reliable model of these phenomena requires acquisition and analysis of all available data to support successive steps up to the management of Early Warning systems.
Large instabilities affect all materials (rock, weak rocks, debris, ice), from low to high altitudes, evolving as slow or fast complex mass movements. This and the complex dependency on forcing factors result in different types and degrees of hazard and risk. Some aspects of these instabilities are still understudied and debated, because of difficult characterization and few cases thoroughly studied. Regional and temporal distribution, relationships with controlling and triggering factors are poorly understood resulting in poor predictions of behavior and evolution under present and future climates. How will it change their state of activity under future climatic changes? How this will impact on existing structures and infrastructures? How can we improve our predictions? Relationships among geological and hydrological boundary conditions and displacements are associated to evolution in space and time of hydro-mechanical controls . Even for well studied and active phenomena warning thresholds are mostly qualitative, based on semi-empirical approaches. Hence a multidisciplinary approach and robust monitoring data are needed. Many modeling approaches can be applied to evaluate instability and failure, considering triggerings, failure propagation, leading to rapid mass movements . Nevertheless, these approaches are still phenomenological and have difficulty to explain the observed behavior. Impacts of such instabilities on structures represents a relevant risk but also an opportunity in terms of investigations and quantitative measurements of effects on tunnels, dams, roads. Design of these structures and knowledge of their expected performance is fundamental.
We invite to present case studies, sharing views and data, to discuss monitoring and modeling approaches and tools, to introduce new approaches for thresholds definition, including advanced numerical modeling, Machine Learning for streamline and offline data analyses, development of monitoring tools and dating or investigation techniques.

Mountain regions are a complex system of different glacial, paraglacial and periglacial environments rapidly changing due to global warming. In this context, short-term landscape evolution is affected by glacier motion, by a variety of mass movements including slow rock slope deformations, rock and debris slides, rockfalls, as well as by periglacial features such as rock glaciers. These mass movements are driven be different processes, evolve at different rates and can pose different risks to lives, human activities and infrastructure. The physics of rock slope degradation and the dynamics of failure and transport define the hazards.

In this session we bring together researchers from different communities interested in a better understanding of the physical processes controlling mass movements mass around the world in glacial, paraglacial and periglacial environments, and investigating their evolution in a changing climate. Topics range from state-of-the-art methods for assessing, quantifying, predicting, and protecting against alpine slope hazards across spatial and temporal scales to innovative contributions dealing with mass movement predisposition, detachment, transport, and deposition. The selected contributions are expected to: (i) provide insights from field observations and/or laboratory experiments; (ii) apply statistical methods and/or artificial intelligence to identify and map mass movements; (iii) present new monitoring approaches (in-situ and remote sensing) applied at different spatial and temporal scales; (iv) use models (from conceptual frameworks to theoretical and/or advanced numerical approaches) for the analysis and interpretation of the governing physical processes; (v) develop strategies applicable for hazard assessment and mitigation. We also aim at triggering discussions on effective countermeasures that can be implemented to increase preparedness and risk reduction, and studies that integrate social, structural, or natural protection measures.

The session strives to build a community and to grow networks at EGU and beyond.

Landslides can trigger catastrophic consequences, leading to loss of life and assets. In specific regions, landslides claim more lives than any other natural catastrophe. Anticipating these events proves to be a monumental challenge, encompassing scientific curiosity and vital societal implications, as it provides a means to safeguard lives and property.
This session revolves around methodologies and state-of-the-art approaches in landslide prediction, encompassing aspects like location, timing, magnitude, and the impact of single and multiple slope failures. It spans a range of landslide variations, from abrupt rockfalls to rapid debris flows, and slow-moving slides to sudden rock avalanches. The focus extends from local to global scales.

Contributions are encouraged in the following areas:

Exploring the theoretical facets of predicting natural hazards, with a specific emphasis on landslide prognosis. These submissions may delve into conceptual, mathematical, physical, statistical, numerical, and computational intricacies.
Presenting applied research, supported by real-world instances, that assesses the feasibility of predicting individual or multiple landslides and their defining characteristics, with specific reference to early warning systems and methods based on monitoring data and time series of physical quantities related to slope stability at different scales.
Evaluating the precision of landslide forecasts, comparing the effectiveness of diverse predictive models, demonstrating the integration of landslide predictions into operational systems, and probing the potential of emerging technologies.

Should the session yield fruitful results, noteworthy submissions may be consolidated into a special issue of an international journal.

The purpose of this session is to: (1) showcase the current state-of-the-art in global and continental scale natural hazard risk science, assessment, and application; (2) foster broader exchange of knowledge, datasets, methods, models, and good practice between scientists and practitioners working on different natural hazards and across disciplines globally; and (3) collaboratively identify future research avenues.
Reducing natural hazard risk is high on the global political agenda. For example, it is at the heart of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement. In response, the last decade has seen an explosion in the number of scientific datasets, methods, and models for assessing risk at the global and continental scale. More and more, these datasets, methods and models are being applied together with stakeholders in the decision decision-making process.
We invite contributions related to all aspects of natural hazard risk assessment at the continental to global scale, including contributions focusing on single hazards, multiple hazards, or a combination or cascade of hazards. We also encourage contributions examining the use of scientific methods in practice, and the appropriate use of continental to global risk assessment data in efforts to reduce risks. Furthermore, we encourage contributions focusing on globally applicable methods, such as novel methods for using globally available datasets and models to force more local models or inform more local risk assessment.

Water is the defining feature of the habitable Earth; it is essential for all life as we know it. Evolution and maintenance of life in extremely water limited environments, which cover significant portions of the Earth, is not well understood. Akin to life, water-driven processes leave unique marks on the Earth’s surface. Mars is the only other planet currently known to bear the marks of water-driven surface processes, albeit fossil and of great age. The slow biotic and abiotic surface processes that may operate even in the virtual absence of liquid water are still essentially unknown. What is evident is that transient episodes of increased water availability can leave long lasting traces in extremely water limited environments. Intriguingly, those traces of bursts in Earth surface evolution have rarely been related to bursts in biological colonization/evolution, and vice versa, although both relate to the same trigger: water.
The objective of this session is to showcase research on the mutual evolutionary relationships between Earth surface processes and biota in arid to hyper-arid systems, where both biota and Earth surface process are severely and predominantly limited by the availability of water (rather than by extreme temperatures). As the robust quantification of rates and fluxes in desert landscapes is one of the key challenges related to research at the Earth´s dry limit we highly welcome cutting-edge contributions from geochemistry, biogeosciences, geology, geomorphology and geochronology. We especially encourage contributions from early career scientists who work at the intersection of Earth surface processes and biological evolution.

It is clear that human impact on earth surface processes is almost ubiquitous. At present the scale of human impacts upon geomorphic systems is considerably larger than at any point in the past with a plenitude of either direct or indirect impacts on the systems’ structure and function. This session aims to provide a platform for studies on the role of humans as agents of geomorphic change and associated environmental feedbacks. We also welcome studies which conceptionally discuss the importance of geomorphology as a discipline within the overall Anthropocene debate. We look for both, conceptional contributions, and quantitative approaches, e.g. based on modelling and/or field surveys, addressing the effects of human agency on all geomorphological process domains (aeolian, fluvial, cryospheric, coastal, hillslope). This could include, but is not limited to the effects of construction works, river engineering, land use/management, or climate change. Moreover, this session especially welcomes studies contrasting natural and human dominated systems.

Human activity became a major player of global climatic and environmental change in the course of the late Quaternary, during the Anthropocene. Consequently, it is crucial to understand these changes through the study of former human-environmental interactions at different spatial and temporal scales. Documenting the diversity of human responses and adaptations to climate, landscapes, ecosystems, natural disasters and the changing natural resources availability in different regions of our planet, provides valuable opportunities to learn from the past. To do so, cross-disciplinary studies in Geoarchaeology offer a chance to better understand the archaeological records and landscapes in context of human culture and the hydroclimate-environment nexus over time. This session seeks related interdisciplinary papers and specific geoarchaeological case-studies that deploy various approaches and tools to address the reconstruction of former human-environmental interactions from the Palaeolithic period through the modern. Topics related to records of the Anthropocene from Earth and archaeological science perspectives are welcome. Furthermore, contributions may include (but are not limited to) insights about how people have coped with environmental disasters or abrupt changes in the past; defining sustainability thresholds for farming or resource exploitation; distinguishing the baseline natural and human contributions to environmental changes. Ultimately, we would like to understand how strategies of human resilience and innovation can inform our modern policies for addressing the challenges of the emerging Anthropocene, a time frame dominated by human modulation of surface geomorphological processes and hydroclimate.

In recent decades, thanks to the information revolution and the widening world that has opened to most people, the general interest in the scientific values of our natural environment has increased. As a result, more attention was directed to natural formations, with nature conservation and geo-focused tourism activities increasingly popularised and being established in multiple sites worldwide. Whereas before, the interest in the scientific value of nature was narrowly understood and limited to a professional audience.
In 2021, UNESCO adopted the International Geodiversity Day initiative, and since 2022 it is celebrated worldwide on the 6th of October. The term ‘geodiversity’ incorporates every natural abiotic element of our planet, whereas geoheritage is a part of geodiversity worthy of protection. In fact, the very foundation of the ecosystem and life itself are rooted in geodiversity and geoheritage because Earth's processes affect the habitats of every living creature. Therefore, the recognition of geodiversity’s importance is one of the main pillars of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and influences nearly all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The aim of this session is to provide a broad platform for studies dealing with geodiversity and geoheritage and to draw the scientific community's attention to the importance and diversity hiding in this relatively new science field. The focus areas are the following:
● geodiversity and geoheritage assessment methodologies and case studies,
● geoconservation and geotourism management,
● social and cultural connections to geodiversity and geoheritage,
● interrelations between geodiversity, biodiversity, and climatic diversity,
● the contribution of geodiversity and geoheritage to sustainable development.
The session is co-organised by the Geomorphosites Working Group of the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) and ProGEO, the International Association for the Conservation of Geological Heritage.

Public information:
We would like to continue the so-called "indoor picnic" tradition organised during some of the geodiversity and geoheritage sessions. Thus, we encourage the participants of the session to bring some local products (food, drinks...) related to geodiversity, geoheritage or simply to their area of study. Looking forward to meeting you on this special occasion!