Theresa C van Hateren, Harro Joseph Jongen , Hadeel Al-Zawaidah, Joris GW Beemster, Judith Boekee, Linda Bogerd, Sijia Gao, Christin Kannen, Ilja van Meerveld, Sjoukje I de Lange, Felicia Linke, Rose B Pinto, Janneke OE Remmers, Jessica Ruijsch, Steven R Rusli, Roeland van de Vijsel, Jerom PM Aerts, Sehouevi MD Agoungbome, Markus Anys, Sara Blanco Ramírez, Tim van Emmerik , Luca Gallitelli, Gabriela Gesualdo, Wendy Gonzalez Otero, Sarah Hanus, Zixiao He, Svenja Hoffmeister, Ruben Imhoff, Tim Kerlin, Sumit Meshram, Judith Meyer, Aline Meyer Oliveira, Andreas CT Müller, Remko Nijzink, Mirjam Scheller, Louise Schreyers, Dhruv Sehgal, Paolo Tasseron , Adriaan J Teuling, Michele Trevisson, Kryss Waldschläger, Bas Walraven, Chanoknun Wannasin, Jan Wienhöfer, Marjanne Zander, Shulin Zhang, Jingwei Zhou, Judith Y Zomer, Bob W Zwartendijk

This paper shares an early-career perspective on potential themes for the upcoming International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) scientific decade (SD). This opinion paper synthesizes six discussion sessions in western Europe identifying three themes that all offer a different perspective on the hydrological threats the world faces and could serve to direct the broader hydrological community: “Tipping points and thresholds in hydrology”, “Intensification of the water cycle”, and “Water services under pressure”. Additionally, four trends were distinguished concerning the way in which hydrological research is conducted: big data, bridging science and practice, open science, and inter- and multidisciplinarity. These themes and trends will provide valuable input for future discussions on the theme for the next IAHS SD. We encourage other Early-Career Scientists to voice their opinion by organizing their own discussion sessions and commenting on this paper to make this initiative grow from a regional initiative to a global movement.