The year 2027 marks two important milestones for EGU’s cryospheric sciences community: the 25th anniversary of the EGU Division on Cryospheric Sciences and the 20th anniversary of the journal “The Cryosphere”. This special session celebrates these anniversaries by bringing together the cryospheric community to reflect on the scientific progress achieved over the past quarter century and to anticipate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Distinguished scientists representing the Division's core scientific themes—including mountain glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice, snow, permafrost, emerging observational and modelling techniques, as well as interdisciplinary linkages—will provide forward-looking perspectives on the evolution of their respective fields. The presentations will highlight transformative discoveries, identify paradigm shifts, and pinpoint unresolved questions as well as scientific priorities that are expected to shape cryospheric research over the coming decades.

The session will also celebrate two decades of “The Cryosphere”, reflecting on the role that the journal has played in advancing the discipline and fostering an open, international scientific community.

By combining scientific retrospection with a strong emphasis on future directions, this session aims to stimulate discussion across traditional disciplinary boundaries, and provide the opportunity for the cryospheric community to come together and assess where the field stands today and where it might be heading over the next 25 years.

Please note that the session will have invited speakers only, i.e. is not open for regular abstract submissions.