A workshop focused on glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), ice sheets, sea-level change, and associated geodetic and geophysical observational constraints was held at the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) and Pacific Geoscience Centre (PGC), located near Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, from 2-6 June 2025. The workshop brought together 70+ researchers in person and dozens more virtually to discuss recent advances in the observations, analysis, and modelling of GIA.
The 5-day program included oral and poster sessions focused on various thematic topics relating to GIA, ice sheet and glacier history, mass balance and projected future change, and the effects of this ice sheet evolution and Earth response on global, regional, and local scales. Participants discussed observations, analyses, and modelling of ice sheet dynamics, the ensuing solid-Earth response, the resulting global and local (relative) sea-level changes, and the interactions and feedbacks between these components of the coupled Earth system.
In addition to oral and poster sessions, the workshop incorporated opportunities for networking and collaboration, including a one-day field trip to observe local records of GIA, glacial geology, and active tectonics. During the last day, several smaller workshops on specific topics that are of high interest for the GIA community were offered. These workshops encouraged advanced research in targeted fields (e.g., benchmarking of GIA modelling codes, differences between GIA and GNSS reference frames, modelling of paleo ice-sheet histories, GIA in Antarctica, and observational constraints for GIA in Antarctica).
Congratulations Greta Bellagamba and Taryn Neligan!
Above: Dr. Thomas James from the Geological Survey of Canada and University of Victoria presents the Outstanding Student Presentation Award for the Oral Presentation category to Greta Bellagamba, a Doctoral Graduate Student from the University of Iceland. Congratulations Greta!
Above: Dr. Thomas James from the Geological Survey of Canada and University of Victoria presents the Outstanding Student Presentation Award for the Oral Presentation category to Taryn Neligan, a Master's Graduate Student from the University of Victoria. Congratulations Taryn!
CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM THE 2025 GIA WORKSHOP!
SCHEDULE AND PARTICIPANT LIST
For the complete schedule, including a detailed listing of presentations, participants, workshops, and abstracts, please download the ABSTRACT BOOK [PDF].
Sunday
6:00 pm Icebreaker (Location TBD)
Monday
9:00 am – 6:00 pm Talks and posters at IOS/PGC (shuttle to and from Sidney will be provided)
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm ECR meet-up in Sidney
Tuesday
9:00 am – 6:00 pm Talks and posters at IOS/PGC (shuttle to and from Sidney will be provided)
Wednesday
Field trip entire day
Thursday
9:00 am – 6:00 pm Talks and posters at IOS/PGC (shuttle to and from Sidney will be provided)
Friday
9:00 am – 4:00 pm Workshops at IOS/PGC (shuttle to and from Sidney will be provided)
VIRTUAL POSTER GALLERY
Virtual posters and optional summary videos may be viewed online in the online VIRTUAL POSTER GALLERY.
Access to the password-protected gallery is granted only to individuals who registered.
Organizers:
Thomas James (Geological Survey of Canada and University of Victoria, Canada)
Stephanie Sherman (née Konfal) (Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, Ohio State University, USA)
Karen Simon (Canadian Geodetic Survey, Canada)
Rebekka Steffen (Lantmäteriet, Sweden)
Scientific Committee:
Lambert Caron (Caltech/JPL, US)
Jeff Freymueller (Michigan State University, US)
Franck Ghomsi (University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Natalya Gomez (McGill University, Canada)
Thomas James (Geological Survey of Canada and University of Victoria, Canada)
Volker Klemann (GFZ Potsdam, Germany)
Stephanie Sherman (née Konfal) (Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, Ohio State University, US)
Andrew Lloyd (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, US)
Glenn Milne (University of Ottawa, Canada)
Grace Nield (Durham University, UK)
Jun’ichi Okuno (National Institute of Polar Research, Japan)
Tamara Pico (UC Santa Cruz, US)
Juliet Sefton (The University of Melbourne, Australia)
Karen Simon (Canadian Geodetic Survey, Canada)
Rebekka Steffen (Lantmäteriet, Sweden)
Lev Tarasov (Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada)
Matthias Willen (TU Dresden, Germany)
Maryam Yousefi (Canadian Geodetic Survey, Canada)
Code of Conduct:
The workshop will follow the Code of Conduct of The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) and their anti-harassment guidelines. The full policy details can be viewed HERE.