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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
The link between abrupt climate change and basin stratigraphy: a numerical approach
Publication Date: 2001-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Predicting profile geometry of continental slopes with a multiprocess sedimentation model
Type: Chapter
Channel morphology and river flow in the northern Russian Plain in the Late Glacial and Holocene
Publication Date: 2000-12-13
Type: Journal Article
Chronology and paleoenvironments during the late Weichselian deglaciation of the southwest Iceland shelf
Publication Date: 2000-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Estimating fluvial sediment transport: The rating parameters
Publication Date: 2000-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Chronology and paleoenvironments during the late Weichselian deglaciation of the southwest Iceland shelf
Publication Date: 2000-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Categorizing the morphologic variability of siliciclastic passive continental margins
Publication Date: 2000-03-01
Type: Journal Article
The N and W Iceland Shelf: insights into Last Glacial Maximum ice extent and deglaciation based on acoustic stratigraphy and basal radiocarbon AMS dates
Andrews JT; Hardardottir J; Helgadottir G; Jennings AE; Geirsdottir A; Sveinbjornsdottir AE; Schoolfield S; Kristjansdot...
- Andrews JT
- Hardardottir J
- Helgadottir G
- Jennings AE
- Geirsdottir A
- Sveinbjornsdottir AE
- Schoolfield S
- Kristjansdottir GB
- Smith LM
- Thors K
Publication Date: 2000-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Impact of Extreme River Events on the Coastal Ocean
Publication Date: 2000-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Geological Perturbations and Consequences of Extreme and Unexpected Phenomena in the Ocean
Publication Date: 2000-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Debris flow versus turbidity currents: A modeling comparison of their dynamics and deposits
Type: Chapter
Influence of melting icebergs on distribution, characteristics and transport of marine particles in an East Greenland fjord
Publication Date: 1999-03-15
Type: Journal Article
Estimating river-sediment discharge to the ocean: application to the Eel margin, northern California
Publication Date: 1999-02-01
Type: Journal Article
River-plume sedimentation modeling for sequence stratigraphy: Application to the Eel margin, northern California
Publication Date: 1999-02-01
Type: Journal Article
High-resolution seismic evidence for multiple glaciation across the southwest Iceland shelf
Publication Date: 1999-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Stratigraphic predictions of continental margins for the U.S. Navy
Type: Chapter
High-resolution seismic evidence for multiple glaciation across the southwest Iceland shelf
Publication Date: 1999-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Geological Observations and Parameterizations
Type: Chapter
Evaluation of the global oxygen isotope curve as a proxy for quaternary sea level by modeling of delta progradation
Publication Date: 1998-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Plume1.1: Deposition of sediment from a fluvial plume
Publication Date: 1998-03-01
Type: Journal Article
HYDROTREND: A climate-driven hydrologic-transport model for predicting discharge and sediment load to lakes or oceans
Publication Date: 1998-02-01
Type: Journal Article
In situ observations of floc settling velocities in Glacier Bay, Alaska
Publication Date: 1998-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Modeling of erosion and deposition by turbidity currents generated by river mouths
Publication Date: 1998-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Sediment transport and terrigenous fluxes
Type: Chapter
Preface - Seismic facies of glacial deposits from marine and lacustrine environments
Publication Date: 1997-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Pages
Teaching
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