Senior Lecturer - Coordinator of Research
BSurv(Hons), PhD (UTAS)
| Contact Campus | Sandy Bay Campus |
| Building | Spatial Information Science Building |
| Room Reference | 119 |
| Telephone | +61 3 6226 2489 |
| Fax | +61 3 6226 7628 |
| Christopher.Watson@utas.edu.au |
My research interests have an emphasis on ‘environmental geodesy’ – the use of space geodetic tools such as GNSS, satellite altimetry and space gravity applied to global climate change and sea level studies, crustal strain and seismic deformation, and surface expression of hydrologic loading. My PhD work developed an improved in-situ calibration technique for the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 satellite altimeters. This work continues as part of a satellite altimetry calibration and validation sub-facility that I lead within the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), contributing local and global results to the NASA/CNES Ocean Surface Topography Science Team (OSTST).
Outside of my satellite altimeter work, my research focuses largely on the identification and mitigation of systematic errors in space geodetic analyses (most notably in GPS and VLBI). Examples include the influence of multipath, different strategies surrounding atmospheric mapping functions, a-priori zenith hydrostatic delays, atmospheric loading, and mis-modelling periodic geophysical signals such as the Solid Earth and atmospheric pressure tides. I am involved with work investigating network and geometry effects in geodetic VLBI, as well as thermally induced deformation within VLBI telescopes. Recent work has also investigated the surface expression of hydrologic loads on the crust, comparing GRACE gravity fields convolved for deformation with observed deformation from GPS analyses. I also have an interest in historical sea level studies (for example, sea level change since Mawson’s 1911-14 AAE expedition to Macquarie Island) and have developed a novel GPS buoy calibration technique for Australian Antarctic tide gauges.
Other work based in Antarctica includes an Australian contribution to the Calibration, Validation and Retrieval Team (CVRT) on the European Space Agency CryoSat-II mission. As part of this work, we are working towards estimating spatial and temporal changes to surface elevation and accumulation rates using satellite, airborne and in-situ data over parts of Law Dome and the Totten Glacier in the East Antarctic.
Geodesy is an integrative science that contributes to a broad range of scientific disciplines. My skills are in the areas of:
- Analyses of data from the Global Positioning System (using scientific packages such as GAMIT, Gipsy and Track).
- Multi-technique inter-comparison (space geodetic, airborne and in-situ).
- Time series and spectral analysis, harmonic analysis of tidal records.
- Ocean altimetry – specifically in the estimation of absolute bias, and bias drift from the global tide gauge network.
- High precision surveying and measurement applications, including positioning requirements of UAVs.
Full Grant List on UTAS WARP Database
2011: ARC Super Science: Establishing the reference frame using astronomical and space-geodetic observations ($556.8K over 4 years).
2010: Australian Antarctic Science Grant: Mass balance of the Totten basin in East Antarctica: Estimation and calibration from ground, air and space-based observations (TOT-Cal), Project 3121. ($44K over 2 years)
2010: ARC Super Science: Geophysical, Galactic, and Extra-Galactic Science with the AuScope and Australian Pathfinder Arrays ($556.8K over 4 years).
2010: NCRIS / IMOS: Sub-Facility 11e: Satellite Altimetry Calibration and Validation. ($1.08M over 3 years).
2008: ARC Discovery Project: Environmental Geodesy: Variations of Sea Level and Water Storage in the Australian Region ($1.16M over 5 years).
Current Students are listed on UTAS WARP Database
Please contact me if you have an interest in geodetically orientated projects and would like to discuss possible opportunities for honours or higher degree programs.
I teach second and third year undergraduate units within the course for Bachelor of Surveying and Spatial Sciences. I am the coordinator of the Graduate Certificate in GIS and Spatial Science honours programs. I coordinate or teach into the following units:
KGG307 Geodesy: Observing our changing planet
KGG306 Global Navigation Satellite Systems
KGG370 Analysis of Observations
KGG220 Surveying 2
KGG355 Spatial Research Project
1. Watson, C.S., White, N., Church, J., Burgette, R., Tregoning, P., and Coleman, R. (2011) Absolute Calibration in Bass Strait, Australia: TOPEX, Jason-1 and OSTM/Jason-2. Marine Geodesy, 34:3-4, pp242-260.
2. Watson, C.S., Burgette, R., Tregoning, P., White, N., Hunter, J., Coleman, R., Handsworth, R., and Brolsma, H., (2010), Twentieth century constraints on sea level change and earthquake deformation at Macquarie Island, Geophysical Journal International. 182(2), doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04640.x. pp781-796.
3. King, M and Watson, C.S., (2010), Long GPS coordinate time series: multipath and geometry effects, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 115, No. B4, B04403, doi:10.1029/2009JB006543.
4. Tregoning, P and Watson, C.S., (2009), Atmospheric Effects and Spurious Signals in GPS Analysis, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 114, No. B9, B09403, doi:10.1029/2009JB006344.
5. Tregoning, P., Watson, C.S., G. Ramillien, H. McQueen, and J. Zhang (2009), Detecting hydrologic deformation using GRACE and GPS, Geophysical Research Letters, 36, L15401, doi:10.1029/2009GL038718.
6. Watson, C.S., Coleman, R., and Handsworth, R. (2008), Coastal tide gauge calibration: A case study at Macquarie Island using GPS buoy techniques, Journal of Coastal Research. Vol 24(4): pp1071-1079.
7. King, M.A., Watson, C.S., Penna, N.T., and Clarke, P.J. (2008), Subdaily signals in GPS observations and their effect at semiannual and annual periods, Geophysical Research Letters, 35, L03302, doi:10.1029/2007GL032252.
8. Watson, C.S., P. Tregoning, and R. Coleman (2006), The impact of solid earth tide models on GPS time series analysis. Geophysical Research Letters, 33, L08306, doi:10.1029/2005GL025538.