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
Approaches to defining deltaic sustainability in the 21st century
Day JW; Agboola J; Chen Z; D'Elia C; Forbes DL; Giosan L; Kemp P; Kuenzer C; Lane RR; Ramachandran R...
- Day JW
- Agboola J
- Chen Z
- D'Elia C
- Forbes DL
- Giosan L
- Kemp P
- Kuenzer C
- Lane RR
- Ramachandran R
Publication Date: 2016-12-20
Type: Journal Article
A numerical analyzes on how climate change affects riverine flooding
Type: Conference Proceeding
Recent Deforestation Causes Rapid Increase in River Sediment Load in the Northern Andes
Type: Conference Proceeding
ANALYSIS OF MULTI-DECADAL (1960-2010) DYNAMICS IN SEDIMENT AND WATER DISCHARGES FROM GLOBAL RIVERS: TEMPORAL VARIABILITY AND INTRA-BASIN CONTROLS
Type: Conference Proceeding
Stratigraphic and Earth System approaches to defining the Anthropocene
Steffen W; Leinfelder R; Zalasiewicz J; Waters CN; Williams M; Summerhayes C; Barnosky AD; Cearreta A; Crutzen P; Edgewo...
- Steffen W
- Leinfelder R
- Zalasiewicz J
- Waters CN
- Williams M
- Summerhayes C
- Barnosky AD
- Cearreta A
- Crutzen P
- Edgeworth M
Publication Date: 2016-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Editorial: The anthropocene
Publication Date: 2016-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Methods and approaches to modelling the Anthropocene
Publication Date: 2016-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Plausible and desirable futures in the Anthropocene: A new research agenda
Bai X; van der Leeuw S; O'Brien K; Berkhout F; Biermann F; Brondizio ES; Cudennec C; Dearing J; Duraiappah A; Glaser M...
- Bai X
- van der Leeuw S
- O'Brien K
- Berkhout F
- Biermann F
- Brondizio ES
- Cudennec C
- Dearing J
- Duraiappah A
- Glaser M
Publication Date: 2016-07-01
Type: Journal Article
The impact of climate change on riverine flooding
Type: Conference Proceeding
Uncertainty and Sensitivity in Surface Dynamics Modeling
Publication Date: 2016-05-01
Type: Journal Article
A sediment budget for the lower Yellow River during the years 1580-1849
Type: Conference Proceeding
Modeling of Sediment Transport in the Gulf of Mexico due to the Influence of Hurricanes
Type: Conference Proceeding
The Anthropocene: a conspicuous stratigraphical signal of anthropogenic changes in production and consumption across the biosphere
Williams M; Zalasiewicz J; Waters CN; Edgeworth M; Bennett C; Barnosky AD; Ellis EC; Ellis MA; Cearreta A; Haff PK...
- Williams M
- Zalasiewicz J
- Waters CN
- Edgeworth M
- Bennett C
- Barnosky AD
- Ellis EC
- Ellis MA
- Cearreta A
- Haff PK
Publication Date: 2016-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Predicting Water, Sediment and Nutrient Flux Dynamics to Global Oceans with a Spatially and Temporally Explicit Modeling Framework
Type: Conference Proceeding
The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene
Waters CN; Zalasiewicz J; Summerhayes C; Barnosky AD; Poirier C; Galuszka A; Cearreta A; Edgeworth M; Ellis EC; Ellis M...
- Waters CN
- Zalasiewicz J
- Summerhayes C
- Barnosky AD
- Poirier C
- Galuszka A
- Cearreta A
- Edgeworth M
- Ellis EC
- Ellis M
Publication Date: 2016-01-08
Type: Journal Article
A novel technique to detect turbid water and mask clouds in Greenland fjords
Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Global suspended sediment and water discharge dynamics between 1960 and 2010: Continental trends and intra-basin sensitivity
Type: Conference Proceeding
Flood Risk and Climate Change: The Contributions of Remote Sensing
Type: Conference Proceeding
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and Earth system science: Three decades of co-evolution
Seitzinger SP; Gaffney O; Brasseur G; Broadgate W; Ciais P; Claussen M; Erisman JW; Kiefer T; Lancelot C; Monks PS...
- Seitzinger SP
- Gaffney O
- Brasseur G
- Broadgate W
- Ciais P
- Claussen M
- Erisman JW
- Kiefer T
- Lancelot C
- Monks PS
Publication Date: 2015-12-01
Type: Journal Article
When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal
Zalasiewicz J; Waters CN; Williams M; Barnosky AD; Cearreta A; Crutzen P; Ellis E; Ellis MA; Fairchild IJ; Grinevald J...
- Zalasiewicz J
- Waters CN
- Williams M
- Barnosky AD
- Cearreta A
- Crutzen P
- Ellis E
- Ellis MA
- Fairchild IJ
- Grinevald J
Publication Date: 2015-10-05
Type: Journal Article
Modeling sediment load at intra-basin scale, the Magdalena River, Colombia: A tool for linking erosion to deforestation rates
Type: Conference Proceeding
Morphological changes due to flooding: the Indus River
Type: Conference Proceeding
Profiling risk and sustainability in coastal deltas of the world
Publication Date: 2015-08-07
Type: Journal Article
Colonization of the Americas, 'Little Ice Age' climate, and bombproduced carbon: Their role in defining the Anthropocene
Zalasiewicz J; Waters CN; Barnosky AD; Cearreta A; Edgeworth M; Ellis EC; Galuszka A; Gibbard PL; Grinevald J; Hajdas I...
- Zalasiewicz J
- Waters CN
- Barnosky AD
- Cearreta A
- Edgeworth M
- Ellis EC
- Galuszka A
- Gibbard PL
- Grinevald J
- Hajdas I
Publication Date: 2015-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Modeling flood dynamics along the superelevated channel belt of the Yellow River over the last 3000 years
Publication Date: 2015-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Pages
Teaching
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