Quick intro to GIA

Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) denotes the crustal deformation that results from changes in the ice, liquid water and sediment columns, as well as associated changes in Earth's gravity and rotation axis, ultimately impacting the sea level. The magnitude and time scale of the deformational response depends on the applied load and on solid-Earth parameters, i.e. the mantle viscosity, the lithosphere thickness and their respective density. These parameters display a radial and sometimes also a lateral variability. For further details, please refer to Wiens et al. (2022) and Ivins et al. (2022).

Why do we care?

GIA is known to present many feedbacks on ice-sheet evolution (Whitehouse et al., 2019). Their net effect is negative, meaning that GIA inhibits ice-sheet growth and retreat. A good representation of GIA is therefore needed to obtain realistic paleoclimatic reconstructions of ice sheets, as well as reliable projections of future sea level rise due to anthropogenic warming. The effect of GIA in this context appears to be particularly relevant as a large portion of human societies are concentrated along coasts.