Geography

Geography

Ian OwensAssociate Professor Ian Owens

Position

Climatology, hazards, alpine environments.

Qualifications

M.A.(Cant.), Ph.D.(Tor.)

Contact Details

Room:507
Phone: +64 3 364 2987 ext. 6927
Fax: +64 3 364 2907
ian.owens@canterbury.ac.nz

Postal address:
Department of Geography,
University of Canterbury,
Private Bag 4800,
Christchurch,
New Zealand

Research

Main research interests are in snow and ice studies and geomorphology in mountainous areas. Specific interests include:

  • Avalanche hazards, mapping and forecasting in New Zealand
  • Glacier studies on the Brewster and Franz Josef Glaciers (in conjunction with Wendy Lawson and others)
  • Morphometric studies of fans resulting from a range of processes in Canada and New Zealand(in conjunction with Fes de Scally

Selected Publications

  • Owens I F and Fitzharris B B, 2004, Seasonal snow and water, Ch. 5 in Harding J, Mosley P, Pearson C and Sorrell B (eds), Freshwaters of New Zealand, Wellington, N.Z. Hydrological Society and N.Z. Limnological Society.
  • Owens I, 2004, Avalanche, snow, in Goudie A S (ed), Encyclopedia of geomorphology, London, Routledge, pp 41-44.
  • de Scally F and Owens I F, 2004, Morphometric controls and geomorphic responses on fans in the Southern Alps, New Zealand, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Vol 29, pp 311-322.
  • de Scally F and Owens I F, 2003, Alluvial fans in the Southern Alps: Differentiation of depositional processes using morphometry and particle characteristics, in Proc. 22nd New Zealand Geog. Soc. Conf., pp 68-72.
  • Oliphant A J, Spronken-Smith R A, Sturman A P and Owens I F, 2003, Spatial variability of surface radiation fluxes in mountainous terrain, Journal of Applied Meteorology, Vol 42, pp 113-128.
  • Irwin D, Macqueen W and Owens I, 2002, Avalanche accidents in Aotearoa New Zealand, Wellington, N.Z. Mountain Safety Council.
  • Kossmann M, Sturman A P, Zawar-Reza P, McGowan H A, Oliphant A J, Owens I F and Spronken-Smith R A, 2002, Analysis of the wind field and heat budget in an alpine lake basin during summertime fair weather conditions, Meteorol. Atmos. Phys., Vol 81, No 1-2, pp 27-52.
  • de Scally F, Slaymaker O and Owens I, 2001, Morphometric controls and basin response in the Cascade Mountains, Geografiska Annaler, Vol83A, No 3, pp 117-130.
  • Owens I F, 2001, Natural hazards, Ch. 23 in Sturman A P and Spronken-Smith R (eds), Introduction to the physical environment - a New Zealand perspective, Melbourne, Oxford Univ. Press.
  • Sturman A P, Owens I F and Fitzharris B B, 2001, Precipitation processes and water storage, Chapter 9 in Sturman A P and Spronken-Smith R (eds), The physical environment - a New Zealand perspective, Melbourne, Oxford Univ. Press.
  • Smart C, Owens I F, Lawson W J and Morris A, 2000, Exceptional ablation arising from rainfall-induced slushflows: Brewster Glacier, New Zealand, Hydrological Processes, Vol 14, pp 1045-52.
  • Fitzharris B B, Lawson W J and Owens I, 1999, Research on glaciers and snow in New Zealand, Progress in Physical Geography, Vol 23, No 4, pp 469-500.