Breadcrumb

Bio
Fjords, rivers, deltas, estuaries, particle dynamics, sediment transport and stratigraphy, continental margins, gravity flows, animal-sediment interactions, global change.
Professor Jaia Syvitski received doctorate degrees (Oceanography & Geological Science) from the University of British Columbia in 1978, where she developed a quantitative understanding of particle dynamics across the land-sea boundary. She held a variety of appointments within Canadian universities (1978-1995: U. Calgary, Dalhousie U., U. Laval, Memorial U., and INRS-oceanologie) and was a Senior Research Scientist within the Geological Survey of Canada at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (1981-1995). Jaia served as Director of INSTAAR from 1995-2007, and held faculty appointments in in Geological Sciences, Applied Mathematics, Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences, Hydrological Sciences, and Geophysics. She has over 500 publications, including authorship or co-authorship of 65 peer-reviewed books, and has served in various editorial positions for many international journals. Jaia had leadership roles in several large international projects (SAFE, ADFEX, SEDFLUX, COLDSEIS, STRATAFORM, EuroSTRATAFORM, CSDMS), and served as an advisor for NSF, ONR, ARCUS, LOICZ, IGBP, IUGS, INQUA, SCOR, GWSP, and various energy, mining, and environmental companies.
Education
- PhD: University of British Columbia, 1978
Awards
- Honorary Doctorate of Science in Sustainability, Newcastle University, 2016
- Francis Shepard Medal, Society for Sedimentary Geology, 2016
- Fellow, American Geophysical Union, 2010
- Huntsman Medal, Royal Society of Canada, 2009
Research
Jaia works in the forefront of computational geosciences: sediment transport, land-ocean interactions and Earth-surface dynamics. She was formerly Executive Director of the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System, an international effort in 68 countries to develop, support, and disseminate integrated computer models to the broader geoscience community. Jaia chaired ICSU’s International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (2011-2016) that provides essential scientific leadership and knowledge of the Earth system to help guide society onto a sustainable pathway during rapid global change.
Publications
Latest publications
Latitudinal Controls on Siliciclastic Sediment Production and Transport
Type: Conference Proceeding
Quantifying sediment storage on the floodplains outside levees along the lower Yellow River during the years 1580-1849
Publication Date: 2019-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Complex Intersections of Seas, Lands, Rivers and People
Type: Chapter
Coastal Morphodynamics and Ecosystem Dynamics
Type: Chapter
Global Change: More Than Climate
Type: Chapter
Sea Level Rise: Recent Trends and Future Projections
Type: Chapter
Coastal Systems in the Anthropocene
Type: Chapter
Coastal Complexity and Predictions of Change
Type: Chapter
The Anthropocene Divide Obscuring Understanding of Social-Environmental Change
BAUER AM; Ellis EC; Braje TJ; Finney SC; Kaplan JO; Ribot J; Zalasiewicz J; Waters C; Head MJ; Steffen W...
- BAUER AM
- Ellis EC
- Braje TJ
- Finney SC
- Kaplan JO
- Ribot J
- Zalasiewicz J
- Waters C
- Head MJ
- Steffen W
Publication Date: 2018-12-31
Type: Journal Article
Keynote Plenary: The Anthropocene — from Concept, to Geological Epoch, to 21st Century Science.
Type: Conference Proceeding
Global river slope: A new geospatial dataset and global-scale analysis
Publication Date: 2018-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Modelling feedbacks between human and natural processes in the land system
Robinson DT; Di Vittorio A; Alexander P; Arneth A; Barton CM; Brown DG; Kettner A; Lemmen C; O'Neill BC; Janssen M...
- Robinson DT
- Di Vittorio A
- Alexander P
- Arneth A
- Barton CM
- Brown DG
- Kettner A
- Lemmen C
- O'Neill BC
- Janssen M
Publication Date: 2018-06-26
Type: Journal Article
A model of water and sediment balance as determinants of relative sea level rise in contemporary and future deltas
Publication Date: 2018-03-15
Type: Journal Article
Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Anthropocene Series: Where and how to look for potential candidates
Waters CN; Zalasiewicz J; Summerhayes C; Fairchild IJ; Rose NL; Loader NJ; Shotyk W; Cearreta A; Head MJ; Syvitski JPM...
- Waters CN
- Zalasiewicz J
- Summerhayes C
- Fairchild IJ
- Rose NL
- Loader NJ
- Shotyk W
- Cearreta A
- Head MJ
- Syvitski JPM
Publication Date: 2018-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Estimating Change in Flooding for the 21st Century Under a Conservative RCP Forcing: A Global Hydrological Modeling Assessment
Publication Date: 2018-01-01
Type: Chapter
Morphological responses of the Wax Lake Delta, Louisiana, to Hurricanes Rita
Publication Date: 2017-12-27
Type: Journal Article
Rivers of the Anthropocene
Type: Book
Substantial export of suspended sediment to the global oceans from glacial erosion in Greenland
Overeem I; Hudson BD; Syvitski JPM; Mikkelsen AB; Hasholt B; van den Broeke MR; Noel BPY; Morlighem M...
- Overeem I
- Hudson BD
- Syvitski JPM
- Mikkelsen AB
- Hasholt B
- van den Broeke MR
- Noel BPY
- Morlighem M
Publication Date: 2017-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Impacts of the dam-orientated water-sediment regulation scheme on the lower reaches and delta of the Yellow River (Huanghe): A review
Publication Date: 2017-10-01
Type: Journal Article
The Working Group on the Anthropocene: Summary of evidence and interim recommendations
Zalasiewicz J; Waters CN; Summerhayes CP; Wolfe AP; Barnosky AD; Cearreta A; Crutzen P; Ellis E; Fairchild IJ; Galuszka ...
- Zalasiewicz J
- Waters CN
- Summerhayes CP
- Wolfe AP
- Barnosky AD
- Cearreta A
- Crutzen P
- Ellis E
- Fairchild IJ
- Galuszka A
Publication Date: 2017-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Morphological response to flooding in a human controlled fluvial system, the Indus River.
Type: Conference Proceeding
Predicting anthropogenic and climatic effects on global river fluxes.
Type: Conference Proceeding
Making the case for a formal Anthropocene Epoch: an analysis of ongoing critiques
Zalasiewicz J; Waters CN; Wolfe AP; Barnosky AD; Cearreta A; Edgeworth M; Ellis EC; Fairchild IJ; Gradstein FM; Grineval...
- Zalasiewicz J
- Waters CN
- Wolfe AP
- Barnosky AD
- Cearreta A
- Edgeworth M
- Ellis EC
- Fairchild IJ
- Gradstein FM
- Grinevald J
Publication Date: 2017-04-01
Type: Journal Article
Design with nature: Causation and avoidance of catastrophic flooding, Myanmar
Publication Date: 2017-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Predicting anthropogenic and climatic effects on global river fluxes.
Type: Conference Proceeding
Pages
Teaching
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