Dr Ian Watterson

Dr Ian Watterson: researching climate change and variability

Dr Ian Watterson uses both climate models and mathematical methods to help understand climate and improve communication of potential changes.

• 21 December 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011

Overview

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements

Current activities

Dr Ian Watterson's current activities include: 

• comparison of climate model simulations and observational data
• analyses of recent climate trends, in particular declining rainfall in southeast Australia
• communication of climate change through research reports, scientific journals, conferences and in the public domain.

At CSIRO, Dr Watterson has contributed to the development of global climate models and has performed simulations of global warming due to greenhouse gases. 

His analyses of climate change in Australia have contributed to several long-term research contracts, in particular the Australian Climate Change Science Program and South Eastern Australian Climate Initiative.

Background

Dr Ian Watterson joined CSIRO Atmospheric Research in 1989, following two-year postdoctoral appointments at the University of Reading, United Kingdom (UK) and the NOAA Aeronomy Lab, Colorado, USA.

During that time he worked on tropospheric planetary wave theory, the role of Antarctica on the Southern Hemispheric circulation, and dynamical influences on the Antarctic ozone hole.

Dr Watterson served as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report during 2004–07.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and has been a Member of the American Meteorological Society since 1986.

Among other pastimes, Dr Watterson has been the lead cellist for the Frankston Symphony Orchestra, Australia, in the past year.

Academic qualifications

Dr Watterson holds a:

• Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Pure Mathematics from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia in 1979
• Master of Science from Harvard University, Boston, USA in 1981
• Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Mathematics/Meteorology from Harvard University, Boston, USA in 1985.

Achievements

Dr Watterson's has achieved the following:

• innovative studies of the potential role of air-sea interaction in the Madden-Julian Oscillation, the southern annular mode, Australian climate variability, and tropical cyclones
• development and application of a method of probabilistic climate projection used in 'Climate Change in Australia', the 2008 Garnaut Climate Change Review, and journal publications
• development of climate skill metric 'M' used in publications including the IPCC 4th Assessment Report.

Dr Watterson has authored over 45 journal articles and 50 conference papers on meteorology and climate science.

He has made contributions leading to several major team awards:

• CSIRO Look Out Award, 2008
• CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement, 2008
• Nobel Peace Prize, IPCC, 2007
• Eureka Prize for Environmental Research, 2003
• NASA Group Achievement Award, 1989.

Learn more about Understanding Climate Change.