My role within the Polar Oceans group encompasses both hot water drilling activities and oceanographic mooring operations.

Hot water drilling is used by Polar Oceans as an access tool to the oceans beneath ice shelves but they are also used to access subglacial environments. I am involved in designing, developing, maintaining and operating these drilling systems in both Antarctic and Arctic settings. I have extensive experience of Antarctic fieldwork and the diverse technical requirements of operating in extreme environments.

As a marine technician I am responsible for the recovery and deployment of oceanographic moorings in the Southern Ocean and have significant experience working at sea and operating numerous oceanographic instruments. I have also piloted the BAS autonomous glider fleet and helped develop the early implementation of these vehicles into the pool of oceanographic tools employed by Polar Oceans.

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2025

Davis, Peter E.D. ORCID record for Davis, Peter E.D.. Nicholls, Keith W. ORCID record for Nicholls, Keith W.. Holland, David M. Schmidt, Britney E. Washam, Peter. Fernández Castro, Bieito. Riverman, Kiya L. Smith, James A. ORCID record for Smith, James A.. Anker, Paul G.D. ORCID record for Anker, Paul G.D.. Mullen, Andrew D. Dichek, Daniel. Clyne, Elisabeth. Makinson, Keith ORCID record for Makinson, Keith. (2025) Lateral Fluxes Drive Basal Melting Beneath Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf, West Antarctica.

2023

Schmidt, B. E. Washam, P. Davis, P.E.D. ORCID record for Davis, P.E.D.. Nicholls, K.W. ORCID record for Nicholls, K.W.. Holland, D.M. Lawrence, J.D. Riverman, K.L. Smith, J.A. ORCID record for Smith, J.A.. Spears, A. Dichek, D.J.G. Mullen, A. D. Clyne, E. Yeager, B. Anker, P. ORCID record for Anker, P.. Meister, M.R. Hurwitz, B.C. Quartini, E.S. Bryson, F. E. Basinski-Ferris, A. Thomas, C. Wake, J. Vaughan, D.G. ORCID record for Vaughan, D.G.. Anandakrishnan, S. Rignot, E. Paden, J. Makinson, K. ORCID record for Makinson, K.. (2023) Heterogeneous melting near the Thwaites Glacier grounding line.

Davis, Peter E.D. ORCID record for Davis, Peter E.D.. Nicholls, Keith W. ORCID record for Nicholls, Keith W.. Holland, David M. Schmidt, Britney E. Washam, Peter. Riverman, Kiya L. Arthern, Robert J. ORCID record for Arthern, Robert J.. Vaňková, Irena ORCID record for Vaňková, Irena. Eayrs, Clare. Smith, James A. ORCID record for Smith, James A.. Anker, Paul G.D. ORCID record for Anker, Paul G.D.. Mullen, Andrew D. Dichek, Daniel. Lawrence, Justin D. Meister, Matthew M. Clyne, Elisabeth. Basinski-Ferris, Aurora. Rignot, Eric. Queste, Bastien Y. Boehme, Lars. Heywood, Karen J. Anadakrishnan, Sridhar. Makinson, Keith ORCID record for Makinson, Keith. (2023) Suppressed basal melting in the eastern Thwaites Glacier grounding zone.

2021

Makinson, Keith ORCID record for Makinson, Keith. Anker, Paul G.D. ORCID record for Anker, Paul G.D.. Garcés, Jonathan. Goodger, David J. Polfrey, Scott. Rix, Julius ORCID record for Rix, Julius. Silva, Alejandro. Smith, Andrew M. ORCID record for Smith, Andrew M.. Uribe, José A. Zamora, Rodrigo. (2021) Development of a clean hot water drill to access Subglacial Lake CECs, West Antarctica.

Smith, J.A. ORCID record for Smith, J.A.. Hillenbrand, C.-D. ORCID record for Hillenbrand, C.-D.. Subt, C. Rosenheim, B.E. Frederichs, T. Ehrmann, W. Andersen, T.J. Wacker, L. Makinson, K. ORCID record for Makinson, K.. Anker, P. ORCID record for Anker, P.. Venables, E.J. Nicholls, K.W. ORCID record for Nicholls, K.W.. (2021) History of Larsen C Ice Shelf reconstructed from sub-ice shelf and offshore sediments.

Meister, M. Dichek, D. Spears, A. Hurwitz, B. Bryson, F. Mullen, A. Lawrence, J. Washam, P. Quartini, E. Lopez, S. Kassabian, L. Anker, P. ORCID record for Anker, P.. Mandeno, D. Schmidt, B. (2021) Antarctic Deep Field Deployments and Design of the Icefin ROV.

Griffiths, Huw J. ORCID record for Griffiths, Huw J.. Anker, Paul ORCID record for Anker, Paul. Linse, Katrin ORCID record for Linse, Katrin. Maxwell, Jamie. Post, Alexandra L. Stevens, Craig. Tulaczyk, Slawek. Smith, James A. ORCID record for Smith, James A.. (2021) Breaking all the rules: The first recorded hard substrate sessile benthic community far beneath an Antarctic ice shelf.

McAfee, Carson W.I. ORCID record for McAfee, Carson W.I.. Rix, Julius ORCID record for Rix, Julius. Quirk, Sean J. ORCID record for Quirk, Sean J.. Anker, Paul G.D. ORCID record for Anker, Paul G.D.. Brisbourne, Alex M. ORCID record for Brisbourne, Alex M.. Makinson, Keith ORCID record for Makinson, Keith. (2021) Non-contact measurement system for hot water drilled ice boreholes.

Anker, Paul G.D. ORCID record for Anker, Paul G.D.. Makinson, Keith ORCID record for Makinson, Keith. Nicholls, Keith W. ORCID record for Nicholls, Keith W.. Smith, Andrew M. ORCID record for Smith, Andrew M.. (2021) The BEAMISH hot water drill system and its use on the Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica.

Smith, A.M. ORCID record for Smith, A.M.. Anker, P.G.D. ORCID record for Anker, P.G.D.. Nicholls, K.W. ORCID record for Nicholls, K.W.. Makinson, K. ORCID record for Makinson, K.. Murray, T. Rios-Costas, S. Brisbourne, A.M. ORCID record for Brisbourne, A.M.. Hodgson, D.A. ORCID record for Hodgson, D.A.. Schlegel, R. Anandkrishnan, S. (2021) Ice stream subglacial access for ice sheet history and fast ice flow: The BEAMISH Project on Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica and initial results on basal conditions.

Makinson, Keith ORCID record for Makinson, Keith. Ashurst, Daniel. Anker, Paul G.D. ORCID record for Anker, Paul G.D.. Smith, James A. ORCID record for Smith, James A.. Hodgson, Dominic ORCID record for Hodgson, Dominic. Davis, Peter E.D. ORCID record for Davis, Peter E.D.. Smith, Andrew M. ORCID record for Smith, Andrew M.. (2021) A new percussion hammer mechanism for a borehole deployable subglacial sediment corer.

2018

Rosier, Sebastian H.R. ORCID record for Rosier, Sebastian H.R.. Hofstede, C. Brisbourne, Alex M. ORCID record for Brisbourne, Alex M.. Hattermann, T. Nicholls, Keith W. ORCID record for Nicholls, Keith W.. Davis, Peter E.D. ORCID record for Davis, Peter E.D.. Anker, Paul G.D. ORCID record for Anker, Paul G.D.. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter ORCID record for Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter. Smith, Andy M. ORCID record for Smith, Andy M.. Corr, Hugh F.J. (2018) A new bathymetry for the southeastern Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf: implications for modern oceanographic processes and glacial history.

2014

Makinson, Keith ORCID record for Makinson, Keith. Anker, Paul G.D. ORCID record for Anker, Paul G.D.. (2014) The BAS ice shelf hot water drill: design, methods and tools.

Venables, Emily. Nicholls, Keith ORCID record for Nicholls, Keith. Wolk, Fabian. Makinson, Keith ORCID record for Makinson, Keith. Anker, Paul ORCID record for Anker, Paul. (2014) Measuring turbulent dissipation rates beneath an Antarctic ice shelf.

• Rosier, S., Hofstede, C., Brisbourne, A., Hattermann, T., Davis, P., Anker, P., Gudmundsson, H., & Hugh, C. (2018). Water column and ice thickness measurements of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf derived from point seismic observations collected between 2015-2017 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK. https://doi.org/10.5285/dada63fb-c40a-4b13-97ba-c53860881d79

13. International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration

    The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration unites global scientists to study Antarctica’s most vulnerable glacier, predict sea-level rise, and inform climate action worldwide.

    Read more of: International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration

    

14. Southern Ocean Carbon and Heat Regulation

    Understanding the Ocean Regulation of Climate by Heat, Carbon Sequestration and Transports

    Read more of: Southern Ocean Carbon and Heat Regulation

    

15. BEAMISH: Basal Conditions on Rutford Ice Stream

    BEAMISH drilled through over 2 km of ice on Rutford Ice Stream to discover when the West Antarctic Ice Sheet last collapsed and how water and soft sediments beneath it help the ice flow towards the sea.

    Read more of: BEAMISH: Basal Conditions on Rutford Ice Stream

    

16. Filchner Ice Shelf System, Antarctica

    This project investigated the stability of Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf to produce sea-level projections using hot water drilling, ocean measurements beneath the ice shelf, sediment coring, radar surveys and autonomous submersibles.

    Read more of: Filchner Ice Shelf System, Antarctica

    

1. Scientists reconstruct past history of largest ice shelf on Antarctic Peninsula

   For the first time, geological records have been used to reconstruct the history of Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica.  The ice shelf is the largest remaining remnant of a […]

   Read more of: Scientists reconstruct past history of largest ice shelf on Antarctic Peninsula

   

2. Discovery of life beneath Antarctica’s ice shelves

   Far underneath the ice shelves of the Antarctic, there’s more life than expected, finds a recent study in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, published this week (15 February 2021). […]

   Read more of: Discovery of life beneath Antarctica’s ice shelves

   

3. BAS Staff awarded the Polar Medal

   Three British Antarctic Survey (BAS) staff have been awarded the Polar Medal. The announcement was published last week (Friday 29 January) in the London Gazette. Polar Medal: Dr Jeremy Wilkinson […]

   Read more of: BAS Staff awarded the Polar Medal

   

4. Hot Water Drilling

   Accessing below glaciers

   Read more of: Hot Water Drilling