Paul Denys

BSc(Cant), BSurv, MSurv(Otago), PhD(Newcastle, UK), MNZIS

Contact Details

Tel 64 3 479 7596
Email paul.denys@otago.ac.nz

Profile

Paul Denys joined the Department of Surveying as a Lecturer in June 1995. He completed a MSurv degree at Otago University in 1987, after which he lectured for six months at the University of Cape Town. He then worked as a site engineer in London before carrying out a variety of traditional and GPS control surveys and engineering setting out surveys in the oil and exploration industry in Egypt.

In 1991 he undertook studies for a PhD at the University of Newcastle, England (completed 1995) in height determination using ground-based transponders in conjunction with the radar altimeter on the ERS-1 remote sensing satellite. During this time he was appointed as a Research Associate at the University where he was involved in processing of precise GPS networks for projects in Greece, Europe and Britain. He also worked for Racal Survey in the Middle East, Far East and Europe on GPS related projects specific to the off-shore oil and exploration industry.

Since joining Otago University, his primary research focus has involved projects on the deformation of the South Island, vertical uplift of the Southern Alps, the effect of and integration of deformation events (e.g. earthquakes) on geodetic infrastructure and decoupling vertical land movement at tide gauge stations.

Teaching

Research

Research Interests

Precise GPS, geodesy, geodetic reference systems
Global Navigation Satellite Systems
Earth Deformation
Sea level rise

Current Projects

Southern Alps Geodetic Experiment (SAGENZ)
Using CGPS to measure the rate and distribution of uplift of the Southern Alps.

Beavan, J., P. Denys, M. Denham, B. Hager, T. Herring and P. Molnar (2010) Distribution of present-day vertical deformation across the Southern Alps, New Zealand, from 10 years of GPS data. Geophysical Research Letters 37, L16305 DOI: 10.1029/2010gl044165
Fiordland – Co-seismic and Post-seismic deformation
In August 2003, a M_w 7.2 earthquake caused horizontal displacements of up to 18cm in Fiordland, New Zealand.

Beavan, J., S. Samsonov, P. Denys, R. Sutherland, N. Palmer and M. Denham, Oblique slip on the Puysegur subduction interface in the July 2009 MW 7.8 Dusky Sound earthquake from GPS and InSAR observations: Implications for the tectonics of southwestern New Zealand, Geophysical Journal International. 2010
Sea Level Rise
Monitoring the land movement at New Zealands long record tide gauges.
Strain and Velocity Fields
Using GPS to measure the velocity field throughout the South Island (New Zealand). Hence determine the strain variability particularly in the Southern Alps and Central Otago.

Research Collaborations and Affiliations

UK. Department of Civil Engineering and Geoscience, Newcastle University. Evaluation of the atmospheric troposphere delay biases used by altimeter missions in the study of sea level rise
New Zealand. Environment Waikato and National Institute of Water and Atmosphere. The vertical stability monitoring of SET sites used to establish the Magrove siltation rates (Thames, Coromandel)
Germany. GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam and European Space Agency (ESA). Establishment and operation of a European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) GALELIO tracking station.
New Zealand. Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Joint Research Project, Central Otago Earthquake Hazards
New Zealand. Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Joint Research Project, Determining New Zealand's eustatic sea level rise
USA and New Zealand. University of Colorado at Boulder, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UNAVCO and Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Joint Research Project, Contemporary uplift rates across the Southern Alps using geodetic techniques
Germany. GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam. Establishment and operation of dual GPS tracking stations used for the CHAMP and GRACE satellite missions

Research Grants

2010, GNS Science, Measurement and Evaluation of Crustal Deformation in Central South Island
2008, GNS Science, Measurement and Evaluation of Crustal Deformation in Arthurs Pass
2008, GNS Science, Geo-hazards, society and global plate tectonics – Southern Alps Deformation
2007, LINZ, A prototype RTK Network in Otago
2007, GNS Science, Impacts of Global Plate Tectonics in and around New Zealand – CGPS@TG
2006, GNS Science, Measurement and Evaluation of Crustal and Post-seismic Deformation in Fiordland, Southland and Otago

Responsibilities

Department Level

Assistant Dean, Post-graduate and Research
Member of the School post-graduate and research committee

Professional Activities

Memberships

Member of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors

Refereed Journal Articles and Conference Papers

Denys, P., M. Denham and M. Amos, Evaluation of the NZGeoid05 Using GPS Levelling in Rural and Elevated Locations, South Island, New Zealand. Journal of Spatial Science 55(2): 205-218 DOI: 10.1080/14498596.2010.521972. (2010)

Beavan, J., S. Samsonov, P. Denys, R. Sutherland, N. Palmer and M. Denham, Oblique slip on the Puysegur subduction interface in the July 2009 MW 7.8 Dusky Sound earthquake from GPS and InSAR observations: Implications for the tectonics of southwestern New Zealand, Geophysical Journal International. 2010

Beavan, J., P. Denys, M. Denham, B. Hager, T. Herring and P. Molnar (2010) Distribution of present-day vertical deformation across the Southern Alps, New Zealand, from 10 years of GPS data. Geophysical Research Letters 37, L16305 DOI: 10.1029/2010gl044165

Marshall, A., & Denys, P. (2008). Water Level Measurement and Tidal Datum Transfer Using High Rate GPS Buoys. In proceedings FIG Working Week 2008. Stockholm, Sweden 14-19 June. http://www.fig.net/pub/fig2008/techprog.htm

Denys, P., Winefield, R., & Jordan, A. (2008). Mapping for Earthquakes. Position pp. 52-54.

Denys, P., Winefield, R., & Jordan, A. (2007). Incorporating localised deformation events in dynamic datums. In proceedings FIG Working Week 2007. Hong Kong, SAR, China 13-17 May.

Wallace, L. M., Beavan, J., McCaffrey, R., Berryman, K., & Denys, P. (2007). Balancing the plate motion budget in the South Island, New Zealand using GPS, geological and seismological data. Geophysical Journal International, 168(1), 332-352. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2006.03183.x

Denys, P., Denham, M., & C. Pearson, C. (2007). A geodetic measurement of strain variation across the central Southern Alps, New Zealand. In P. Tregoning & C. Rizos (Eds.), Dynamic Planet - Monitoring and Understanding a Dynamic Planet with Geodetic and Oceanographic Tools pp. 445-452). Cairns, Australia: IAG Symposium 22-26 August 2005,.

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