Highlights at a glance

08:30 – Gender in Geoscience (US8 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room E1), Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding for geosciences (SC4.3 Room -2.62), The Analogues Approach in Extreme Event Attribution: Methods and Applications (SC4.8 Room -2.82), Characterization, processes, and surface interactions of the atmospheric microbiome (AS4.17 PICO PICO spot 3)
10:45 – Satisfaction, salary and value: how and when to negotiate your employment conditions. (SC2.7 Room -2.62), Unlocking creativity through paper sculptures: Overcoming blocks in writing and idea generation (onsite only) (SC5.1 Room 0.55), Limnogeology - reading the geological record of lakes (SSP3.3 orals Room G1), Engaging Communities in Hazard Risk and Disaster Management: Striking a Balance Between Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches (US3 Room E1)
12:45 – Alexander von Humboldt Medal Lecture by Sachchida Nand Tripathi 'Empowering Data-Driven Air Quality Management through low-cost sensors: Insights from the Indo-Gangetic Plains' (MAL1 Room E1)
14:00 – Introduction to Python for Earth System Sciences (SC3.18 Room -2.82), Understanding, using and creating open data with OpenStreetMap (SC4.15 Room -2.62), Scientific worldbuilding: create your own scientific fantasy map (onsite only) (SC5.2 Room 0.55), Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal: Fostering Earth Science Forces for Combating Global Warming (US2 Room E1), Data-driven and physical climate modelling: Connecting a hierarchy of complexity (NP2.2 orals Room -2.15)
16:15 – Late-Breaking Great Debate: How should the global geoscience community respond to attacks on science? (GDB9 Room E1), Measuring and modeling vadose zone processes: challenges and perspectives (SSS10.2 orals Room -2.20)

Closing message from the EGU President

After a gloriously sunny week here in Vienna, another EGU General Assembly is coming to an end. It is always refreshing to travel to Vienna and be with so many of you, both on-site and online! With record breaking abstract submission numbers, the EGU General Assembly continues to grow, and that brings with it its own challenges, but as ever the EGU community stepped forward into our still developing hybrid format with curiosity, positivity and enthusiasm.

With the current climate, both political and environmental, the value of scientific communities like EGU have never been clearer. The open, constructive and collaborative sharing of scientific ideas is a fundamental value to ensure humanity is in the best position to meet the global challenges that we all face and this year’s General Assembly discussed several of these: from bridging science and policy for hazard and risk management in Union Symposia US3 and US5 to the role of AI in the geosciences in Great Debates GDB2 and GDB3. Later today, we will discuss the particularly worrisome current political situation in a late-breaking Great Debate GDB9: How should the global geoscience community respond to attacks on science? It has also been heartening to see issues of diversity and inclusion discussed, with conversations about more inclusive fieldwork practices (US7), gender in geoscience (US8) and mental health in the geosciences (US9).

I am always proud to see the way our Early Career Scientist (ECS) members organise a wide range of events, from Short Courses to networking, chairing sessions to poster tours, and everything in-between. Early Career Scientists, who made up over 50% of our participants, are a key part of our Union, as they continue to look to the future of what Earth, planetary and space sciences could be, not just scientifically, but in terms of life-work balance, policy impact and academic practices.

EGU, as we have said often in the last year, is a bottom-up organisation, directed and shaped by the opinions of you, our members. If you have been inspired by this week’s events and want to get more involved in EGU, please contact your division president, or another Union officer or reach out to one of our Committees and find out more.

We also want to hear your views about this year’s General Assembly so please take a moment to complete our feedback survey, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year, at EGU26!

Peter van der Beek, EGU President 2025

Award lecture

Alexander von Humboldt Medal Lecture by Sachchida Nand Tripathi 'Empowering Data-Driven Air Quality Management through low-cost sensors: Insights from the Indo-Gangetic Plains' (MAL1: 12:45–13:45 (CEST) Room E1)

Short Courses

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding for geosciences (SC4.3: 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room -2.62)
The Analogues Approach in Extreme Event Attribution: Methods and Applications (SC4.8: 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room -2.82)
Satisfaction, salary and value: how and when to negotiate your employment conditions. (SC2.7: 10:45–12:30 (CEST) Room -2.62)
Unlocking creativity through paper sculptures: Overcoming blocks in writing and idea generation (onsite only) (SC5.1: 10:45–12:30 (CEST) Room 0.55)
Introduction to Python for Earth System Sciences (SC3.18: 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room -2.82)
Understanding, using and creating open data with OpenStreetMap (SC4.15: 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room -2.62)
Scientific worldbuilding: create your own scientific fantasy map (onsite only) (SC5.2: 14:00–15:50 (CEST) Room 0.55)

Late-Breaking Great Debate: How should the global geoscience community respond to attacks on science?

The first months of this year have seen extreme actions at an unprecedented scale and speed by the new administration in the USA with regards to science, targeting among others climate and environmental research, essential for the health of our planet. These radical decisions will prove harmful for people all around the world. Large numbers of scientists, in particular Early-Career scientists, have lost their jobs, significant amounts of funding have been withheld or withdrawn, and entire programmes and institutes have been closed. Students have been forced to abandon their education program and studies. Suppression of science leading to discovery anywhere in the world by governments is a tragedy that affects us all. But when drastic actions are taken by a nation that was previously a source of leadership and resources for many pioneering research programmes, the impact of that loss resonates worldwide, and well beyond the scientific community. In this late-breaking interactive session, we will discuss the global impact of these attacks on science, and how the global geoscience community should respond.

GDB9 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room E1

Gender in Geoscience

Geoscience as a field has a well documented under-representation of women, non-binary, and gender-diverse people. The systemic barriers that maintain such limited diversity can be found in many places: biased hiring practices, workplace culture, and career advancement opportunities. A significant aspect that is to be discussed is that of intersectionality: how gender intersects with other dimensions of identity, such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability, in influencing the experiences of geoscientists. The session will examine how the compounding of intersecting identities exacerbates burdens on underrepresented groups and the need to incorporate these factors into the formulation of strategies for inclusivity. The session will be concluded by a call to action, aimed at equipping the participants with knowledge and tools to help them actively contribute toward a more inclusive and fair geoscience community.

US8 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room E1

Limnogeology - reading the geological record of lakes

Sedimentary systems are excellent archives of past environmental change across the globe and have contributed significantly to our understanding of the Earth’s planetary system. The increasing number of available short and long (ICDP) sediment cores, along with seismic and bathymetric data, continues to be pivotal for assessing climate and environmental change, human activities as well as tectonic and volcanic activity, among others. This session aims to deduce quantitative and spatial rates of change, causes and consequences of long- and short-term climate variability, and/or assess the impact, magnitude, and frequency of tectonic and volcanic activities in these systems.

SSP3.3 orals: 10:45–12:25 (CEST) Room G1

Characterization, processes, and surface interactions of the atmospheric microbiome

Across our planet, microorganisms - including bacteria, archaea, viruses, microalgae, and fungi - play vital roles in nutrient cycling and ecological balance. Airborne microbial cells that were emitted from marine and terrestrial surfaces are transported and redistributed in the atmosphere on various temporal and spatial scales. While extensive research has been dedicated to understand microbial communities in the cryo-, litho-, hydro-, and phyllo-spheres, studies on atmospheric microorganisms have been limited to describing their abundance, diversity, and potential climatic and sanitary implications. However, the atmosphere hosts living cells that take part in and are affected by biological, chemical, and physical processes while airborne, contributing to the intricate web of life on our planet. This session will provide an interdisciplinary platform for atmospheric scientists, biogeoscientists, microbial ecologists and other researchers which are concerned with (i) the transport processes of living microorganisms, (ii) microbial processes in the atmosphere and their feedbacks on the Earth surface (water, soil, vegetation, ice), and (iii) atmospheric factors, processes and conditions that affect atmospheric microbial diversity, concentrations, survival, and functioning.

AS4.17 PICO 08:30–12:30 (CEST) PICO spot 3

Engaging Communities in Hazard Risk and Disaster Management: Striking a Balance Between Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches

This Union Symposia will focus on the critical balance between top-down and bottom-up approaches in hazard risk and disaster management, with an emphasis on how trust influences risk perception and community engagement in resilience efforts. This session aims to shift the focus from science research needs to affected communities, exploring how scientists, policy-makers, and practitioners can work together to integrate local knowledge and foster community-driven resilience. The debate will examine the role of trust in shaping risk perception and how scientists can build credibility with communities to improve disaster preparedness. By incorporating lessons from ongoing EU resilience initiatives, the symposia will generate actionable insights and policy recommendations, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of disaster resilience that aligns with both scientific advancement and community needs.

US3 10:45–12:30 (CEST) Room E1

Your highlights of this year’s General Assembly…

"You get to see, say hi to, and start work with a lot of people that you normally only see online." – Nadia Rhoujjati, Assistant Professor, Cadi Ayyad University, Morocco

"The PICO session NH1.5 on managing flood and drought risks across borders." – Ibrahim Halil Dimirel, Assistant professor Batman University, Turkey (1st year attendance)

"The poster sessions, because it is really easy to discover a lot of new topics." – Aude Gounelle, PhD student, BRGM, France

"The discussions in the scientific session on drinking water pollutions and pesticides on Tuesday and presenting my own work, and to see my peers." – Janika Reineccius, Postdoc from Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Germany

"To present my work on ice nucleating particles and bioaerosols and to see same-minded people and peers to discuss science and do socialising." – Jürgen Gratzl, PhD student TU Wien, Austria

"The 'BUGS' session about different things that did not work in different fields of science." – Maria Grundmann, PhD student at WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, SLF, Switzerland

Watch the videos with all our highlights comments on our Instagram!

Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal: Fostering Earth Science Forces for Combating Global Warming

With the increasing urgency to limit global temperature rise to below 2ºC by the end of this century, we cannot rely on decreasing emissions but will have to develop, test and upscale methods for active carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. The United Nations Ocean Decade aims to use and increase the ocean’s potential for CO2 uptake using natural or eco-engineering approaches. Those approaches include, but are not limited to, ocean negative carbon emissions (ONCE) that constitute land-ocean boundaries and open marine ecosystems via the integrations of diverse carbon pumps (biological carbon pump, microbial carbon pump, solubility pump and carbonate counter pump). Through this Union Symposium, the European Geoscience community are invited to support, engage with, or supervise the global goal to facilitate ocean carbon negative emissions, striving for a sustainable ocean future beyond the UN Ocean Decade.

US2 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room E1

EGU Press Assistant Jakub Stepanovic's tips for a weekend in Vienna!

Prolong the buzz of EGU25 by taking a moment to uncover the charm of Vienna and its surroundings! EGU25 Press Assistant Jakub shares his tips on looking for something fresh, even if you've visited Vienna before. Like with the sessions, there's always something new to explore — make the most of your stay!

From picking up a kayak on the river, to exploring the Vienna Planetarium or the Natural History Museum (where you get a discount on entry with your EGU25 name badge!), to visiting Austria's tallest building or just finding a quiet spot by the river to relax and perhaps take a refreshing swim, Vienna has many sides to explore over the weekend!

Read his suggestions here!

Measuring and modeling vadose zone processes: challenges and perspectives

Observations are the cornerstone of understanding hydrological processes, providing essential data for model development and validation. However, the integration of monitoring strategies and measurement tools into data mining and modeling remains a significant challenge in vadose zone hydrology. To address this, advancements in technologies such as remote sensing, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and the Internet of Things are crucial. This session aims to explore the integration of diverse observational approaches across different spatial scales to enhance our understanding of vadose zone processes.

SSS10.2 orals: 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.20, on-site posters: 10:45–12:30 (CEST) Hall X3, virtual posters: 14:00–15:45 (CEST) vPoster spot 3

Data-driven and physical climate modelling: Connecting a hierarchy of complexity

The Earth’s climate system exhibits complex, nonlinear interactions across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Gaining deeper insights into these dynamics requires reconciling knowledge gained from high-resolution Earth System Models (ESMs), simpler conceptual models, and data-driven methodologies. This session brings together efforts to bridge the gap between simulation and understanding, linking different levels of the model hierarchy with innovative data-driven and theoretical approaches.

NP2.2 orals: 14:00–15:45 (CEST) and 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.15