Canadian Geophysical Union

Canadian Geophysical Union
Name	Canadian Geophysical Union
Abbrev	CGU
Formation	1974
Type	Non-profit
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario
Region served	Canada
Membership	Earth and planetary scientists
Leader title	President

Contents

Canadian Geophysical Union The Canadian Geophysical Union is a professional association for practitioners of Geophysics, founded to connect researchers across Canada and internationally. It serves as a focal point for work related to Earth (planet), Mars, Venus, Moon, Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, and other planetary bodies, and engages with institutions such as the National Research Council (Canada), Natural Resources Canada, University of Toronto, McGill University, and University of British Columbia. Its activities intersect with agencies like Canadian Space Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and museums such as the Canadian Museum of Nature.

History

The Union’s mission aligns with goals promoted by the Royal Society of Canada, Canadian Academy of Engineering, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and international partners including NASA and European Space Agency. CGU programs span topics found in research centers at University of Calgary, Simon Fraser University, Université de Montréal and McGill—covering seismology efforts related to the 1964 Alaska earthquake, tectonics studies near the Rocky Mountains, glaciology research in the Laurentide Ice Sheet domain, and space weather monitoring linked to instruments like those at Geomagnetic Observatory (GSC). The Union liaises with regulatory and policy-making entities including Transport Canada, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and provincial agencies to inform decisions on hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis influenced by events like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Membership draws scientists and students from institutions such as University of Ottawa, Carleton University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, University of Manitoba, University of Victoria and laboratories like the GSC (Geological Survey of Canada) and Canadian Hydrographic Service. The governance structure includes roles comparable to those at American Meteorological Society and Canadian Association of Physicists, with an executive, council and specialized committees resembling bodies at European Space Agency Science Directorate and national academies. Collaborative ties extend to organizations such as Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, Canadian Quaternary Association, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies and international partners like International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy.

The CGU organizes annual scientific meetings that attract participants from Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Max Planck Society, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and universities worldwide. Proceedings and special issues have thematic overlap with journals like Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Geophysical Research, Nature Geoscience, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences and collaborations with publishers including Springer, Elsevier and Cambridge University Press. Workshops and sessions frequently feature topics connected to projects such as Argo (oceanography), Global Seismographic Network, NEPTUNE Canada, POLARIS (seismic array), and programs like the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

The Union administers awards that mirror honors from organizations like the Royal Society, Royal Society of Canada, Order of Canada recipients in science, and medals similar in spirit to those from the American Geophysical Union and European Geosciences Union. Recipients have affiliations with University of Waterloo, Université Laval, Simon Fraser University, University of Western Ontario, McMaster University and government labs such as Natural Resources Canada and the National Research Council (Canada). Awards recognize achievements in areas connected to major events and efforts such as St. Lawrence Seaway research, Hudson Bay studies, Drake Passage circulation research, and climate work related to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.

Educational outreach runs in partnership with museums and organizations including the Royal Ontario Museum, Canadian Space Agency Education Program, Science North, TELUS Spark, Ontario Science Centre, Canada Aviation and Space Museum and school networks coordinated with provincial education ministries like Ontario Ministry of Education and British Columbia Ministry of Education. Public lectures and programs tie into initiatives such as Earth Sciences Week, International Year of Planet Earth, National Science and Technology Week and collaborations with Indigenous groups, northern communities, and stewardship programs like Boreal Forest Conservation Strategies. The Union supports student chapters at institutions such as University of Saskatchewan, Memorial University, Université de Sherbrooke and sponsors training linked to facilities like Canadian Light Source and observatories including Dominion Astrophysical Observatory.

Category:Scientific societies based in Canada