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Dr Leighton Myles Watson

Contact

Department: School of Earth and Environment

Email: leighton.watson@canterbury.ac.nz

Direct Dial: +64 3 3691879

Office:

Language: English

About
Research / Creative works
Methods & Equipment

Fields of Research

  • Volcanology
  • Infrasound
  • Acoustics
  • Natural hazards
  • Avalanches

Researcher Summary

My research focuses on how geophysical data (seismic and acoustic) can be combined with physics-based computational simulations to better monitor and understand natural hazards, with a particular emphasis on infrasound (low frequency acoustic waves that are below the frequency limit of human hearing) and volcanic eruptions. Motivated by interesting observations of natural activity, a desire to reduce risk, and a strong scientific curiosity, I develop numerical models that are derived from fundamental physics. I validate these models by acquiring my own data, or by comparing with existing geophysical data and visual observations, and then use the validated models to learn about the behaviour of complex volcanic systems in order to improve monitoring efforts and hazard assessment.

My current areas of research include detecting and characterizing snow avalanches with infrasound, simulating geophysical signals from pyroclastic density currents, and infrasonic precursors to lava fountaining at open vent volcanoes. Over the past year, I have also been working on modeling the spread of COVID-19 in New Zealand (Aotearoa).

Subject Area: Disciplines

  • Earth Sciences: Geophysics; Glaciology; Volcanology
  • Mathematics: Applied Mathematics

Research/Scholarly/Creative Works

Journal Articles
  • Sciotto M., Watson LM., Cannata A., Cantarero M., De Beni E. and Johnson JB. (2022) Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy). Scientific Reports 12(1) http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20258-9.
  • Watson L. (2022) Likelihood of infecting or getting infected with COVID-19 as a function of vaccination status, as investigated with a stochastic model for New Zealand (Aotearoa) for Delta and Omicron variants. New Zealand Medical Journal http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.28.21266967.
  • Watson LM. (2022) Likelihood of infecting or getting infected with COVID-19 as a function of vaccination status, as investigated with a stochastic model for Aotearoa New Zealand for Delta and Omicron variants. New Zealand Medical Journal 135(1552): 89-100.
  • Watson LM. (2022) Simulating the impact of vaccination rates on the initial stages of a COVID-19 outbreak in Aotearoa New Zealand with a stochastic model. New Zealand Medical Journal 135(1552): 66-76.
  • Watson LM., Carpenter B., Thompson K. and Johnson JB. (2022) Using local infrasound arrays to detect plunging snow avalanches along the Milford Road, New Zealand (Aotearoa). Natural Hazards 111(1): 949-972. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-021-05086-w.
  • Watson LM., Iezzi AM., Toney L., Maher SP., Fee D., McKee K., Ortiz HD., Matoza RS., Gestrich JE. and Bishop JW. (2022) Volcano infrasound: progress and future directions. Bulletin of Volcanology 84(5) http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00445-022-01544-w.
  • Johnson JB., Anderson JF., Marshall HP., Havens S. and Watson LM. (2021) Snow Avalanche Detection and Source Constraints Made Using a Networked Array of Infrasound Sensors. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 126(3) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020JF005741.
  • Lindeberg L., Ljungberg Rydin Y. and Watson LM. (2021) A high-order finite-difference scheme to model the fluid-structure interaction in pneumatic seismic sources. Journal of Computational Physics 424 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2020.109849.
  • Watson LM., Dunham EM., Mohaddes D., Labahn J., Jaravel T. and Ihme M. (2021) Infrasound Radiation From Impulsive Volcanic Eruptions: Nonlinear Aeroacoustic 2D Simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 126(9) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2021JB021940.
  • Watson LM. (2020) Using unsupervised machine learning to identify changes in eruptive behavior at Mount Etna, Italy. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 405 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2020.107042.
  • Watson LM., Johnson JB., Sciotto M. and Cannata A. (2020) Changes in Crater Geometry Revealed by Inversion of Harmonic Infrasound Observations: 24 December 2018 Eruption of Mount Etna, Italy. Geophysical Research Letters 47(19) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088077.
  • Chelminski S., Watson LM. and Ronen S. (2019) Research Note: Low-frequency pneumatic seismic sources. Geophysical Prospecting 67(6): 1547-1556. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2478.12774.
  • Johnson J. and Watson L. (2019) Monitoring Volcanic Craters with Infrasound “Music”. Eos 100 http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2019eo123979.
  • Watson LM., Dunham EM. and Johnson JB. (2019) Simulation and inversion of harmonic infrasound from open-vent volcanoes using an efficient quasi-1D crater model. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 380: 64-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2019.05.007.
  • Watson LM., Werpers J. and Dunham EM. (2019) What controls the initial peak of an air-gun source signature? Geophysics 84(2): P27-P45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/geo2018-0298.1.
  • Johnson JB., Ruiz MC., Ortiz HD., Watson LM., Viracucha G., Ramon P. and Almeida M. (2018) Infrasound Tornillos Produced by Volcán Cotopaxi's Deep Crater. Geophysical Research Letters 45(11): 5436-5444. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077766.
  • Johnson JB., Watson LM., Palma JL., Dunham EM. and Anderson JF. (2018) Forecasting the Eruption of an Open-Vent Volcano Using Resonant Infrasound Tones. Geophysical Research Letters 45(5): 2213-2220. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076506.
  • Watson L. and Van Wijk K. (2015) Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy of horizontal transversely isotropic samples. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 120(7): 4887-4897. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2014JB011839.
Conference Contributions - Published
  • Watson LM., Jennings J. and Ronen S. (2017) Source designature of ocean bottom node data using deterministic airgun modeling. In SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts: 121-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/segam2017-17750879.1.
  • Watson LM., Ronen S., Goldbogen JA. and Dunham EM. (2017) Comparing whales to marine seismic sources: Low frequency sound generation by fin whales. In SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts: 90-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/segam2017-17752002.1.
  • Watson LM., Dunham EM. and Ronen S. (2016) Numerical modeling of seismic airguns and low-pressure sources. In SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts 35: 219-224. http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/segam2016-13846118.1.

Key Methodologies

  • Mathematical modeling
  • Computational fluid dynamics
  • Geophysical field work
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