Last call for EGU26 abstracts: Three sessions led by iC3 researchers

Three researchers from the iC3 Polar Research Hub are calling for abstracts for their sessions at the upcoming EGU General Assembly. The EGU is a flagship international geoscience conference which will be held in May 2026.

·      Mohamed Ezat: Planktic foraminifera research

·      Laura Helene Rasmussen: Arctic terrestrial biogeochemistry in wintertime

·      Benjamin Boyes: Reconstructing past glaciations

More details on each session below. The deadline for abstract submission is this Thursday, 15 January at 13:00 CET.

From Living Shells to Climate Signals: Advances and applications in Planktic Foraminifera Research

Session CL5.5 – Tools for Climate Studies

Convener: Mohamed Ezat

The assemblage composition, shell morphology and geochemistry of planktic foraminifera serve as vital tools to aid the interpretation of past oceanographic archives. Planktic foraminifera are also an important component of the marine carbon cycle. 

This session brings together interdisciplinary research that explores the biology, ecology, and biomineralization of planktic foraminifera as well as their use in the development and application of traditional and new geochemical, morphological, and biological proxies.

We welcome contributions that are based on culturing experiments, plankton tows and/or surface sediments to deepen our understanding of foraminiferal life processes – including calcification, symbiosis, and environmental sensitivity – as well as studies that advance the calibration, validation, and innovative applications of foraminiferal-based proxies. 

We are particularly interested in work that bridges modern observations with paleoceanographic reconstructions, explores methodological developments (e.g., culturing, geochemical analyses, machine learning), or integrates foraminiferal data into Earth system models.

This session aims to foster dialogue between biologists, geochemists, micropaleontologists, and modelers to strengthen the link between living foraminifera and their fossil record, and to improve our understanding of past marine environments and climate dynamics.

Submit your abstract here.

Active in the cold: black boxes of wintertime biogeochemistry, microbiology and plant-soil interactions in Arctic and alpine environments

Session BG3.17 – Terrestrial Biogeochemistry

Convener: Laura Helene Rasmussen

The cold season dominates most of the year in Arctic and alpine regions, but it is understudied due to challenging working conditions and accessibility. However, plant and microbial activity, and biogeochemical turnover, continue under snow cover and sub-zero temperatures. 

Such activity is likely to play an important role, not only in the winter, but year-round in regulating ecosystem functioning, and carbon and nutrient cycling, which affects plant productivity, phenology and -diversity .

Moreover, at high latitudes and many high elevation areas, the winter period is experiencing the highest rates of climate warming – leading to system altering phenomena including rain-on-snow events and snow cover loss. These phenomena affect the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of terrestrial ecosystems, and may trigger vegetation damage and permafrost carbon loss. 

Addressing the cold-season knowledge gap is therefore essential – not only to gain a comprehensive understanding of high latitude ecosystems year-round, but also their vulnerability to warmer winters as a result of amplified climate change.

This interdisciplinary session unites researchers working on cold season biogeochemistry, microbiology and plant-soil processes, across the Arctic-boreal region and in Alpine environments. By bringing together varied perspectives, we form an integrated ecosystem approach that considers drivers, transformations, feedbacks, and interdependencies of cold-season processes. 

We welcome studies focusing on observational, experimental and modelling approaches to understand winter plant and microbial functioning, biogeochemical cycling, and associated impacts on the growing season and year-round dynamics – emphasizing responses to changing seasonality and winter climate regimes.

Submit your abstract here.

Deciphering the record of glaciations through space and time: lessons for the future

Session CR1.4 – Cryospheric Sciences

Convener: Benjamin Boyes

The evolution of glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets can have a profound impact on the Earth system. Ice mass growth and decay results in the fluctuation of sea levels, alteration of global air and ocean circulation patterns, sculpting of the landscape, and reorganisation of continental drainage. Landforms and sediments provide important information about the dimensions, distribution, and dynamics of former ice masses. 

This record can be used to understand ice dynamics, reconstruct climate, and refine our understanding of the future response of ice masses to variations in climate. The glacial geological record is also often compared with observations of the modern-day processes at work on Earth. 

The aim of this session is to bring together researchers focused on reconstructing past glaciations and understanding glacial processes at all spatial scales and from all parts of the world. 

We welcome studies of all relevant aspects, for example (i) glacial landforms and sediments, (ii) glacial reconstructions and chronologies, (iii) glaciologic and climatic interpretations, and (iv) numerical modelling. While the focus of the session will be Quaternary glaciations, studies from any geological period are encouraged to fully address the diversity of the topic.

Submit your abstract here.