I am a physical oceanographer in the Polar Oceans group at the British Antarctic Survey. I moved to BAS at the end of 2015 after completing my PhD at the University of Oxford, which focused on the changing dynamics of the Arctic Ocean. My research interests are focused on high-latitude ice shelf-ocean interactions, with a particular focus on the turbulent ocean processes operating in the first few metres of the ocean beneath the ice base. I am also interested in the large-scale ocean circulation beneath Antarctic ice shelves, along with ice shelf front processes.

I am currently a co-PI on the MELT project as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. This work involves using hot water drills to gain access to the grounding zone region beneath Thwaites Glacier and deploying robotic vehicles (Icefin) and ocean moorings that can measure the temperature, salinity and ocean currents in this incredibly hard to access environment. My research is exploring how ocean heat is transported through the turbulent ice shelf-ocean boundary layer and the impact this has on the rate of basal melting. The aim of the MELT project is to capture new observations and data to assess the role of the grounding zone region in driving sea level rise over the coming century.

I am also a co-PI on two additional projects. A Horizon Europe grant: Ocean Cryosphere Exchanges in ANtarctica: Impacts on Climate and the Earth system (OCEAN:ICE) that will push forward the boundaries in our understanding of how the Antarctic ice sheet and surrounding Southern Ocean influences our global climate and a Natural Environment Research Council Pushing the Frontiers Grant: Simulating UNder ice Shelf Extreme Topography (SUNSET) that will investigate the role extreme topography plays in regulating ice shelf basal melting.

I have previously worked on a large collaborative project known as the Filchner Ice Shelf System: Ice Shelves in a Warming World, and I am also working with data from the NERC iSTAR – Stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet program to understand the interactions between the Amundsen Sea and the melt rate on Pine Island Glacier on daily to monthly timescales.

Awards

In recognition of my work tackling one of the most important environmental questions of our time – global sea-level rise – and for spearheading a major Antarctic field campaign to the Florida-sized Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica which has the potential to raise global sea-level by up to 70 cm everywhere, I was honoured by TIME Magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2023

Fieldwork

I regularly head south during the Antarctic summer to undertake field work. Some recent seasons include:

• 2015-2016:  hot water drilling on southern Filchner Ice Shelf
• 2016-2017:  hot water drilling on northern Filchner Ice Shelf
• 2018:            A23 repeat hydrographic section on RRS James Clark Ross
• 2019-2020: hot water drilling near the Thwaites Glacier grounding line
• 2022-2023: hot water drilling on Fimbul Ice Shelf in Dronning Maud Land
• 2024-2025: hot water drilling on Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica

You can follow our seasons live on our Twitter and Instagram accounts

Publications

• JS Na, PED Davis, BH Kim, EK Jin, WS Lee (2023). Ice Shelf Water Structure Beneath the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters 50 (19), e2023GL104088. DOI: 10.1029/2023GL104088
• PED Davis, KW Nicholls, DM Holland, BE Schmidt, P Washam, et al. (2023). Suppressed basal melting in the eastern Thwaites Glacier grounding zone. Nature 614 (7948), 479-485. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05586-0
• BE Schmidt, P Washam, PED Davis, KW Nicholls, DM Holland, et al. (2023). Heterogeneous melting near the Thwaites Glacier grounding line. Nature 614 (7948), 471-478. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05691-0
• PED Davis, A Jenkins, KW Nicholls, P Dutrieux, M Schröder, et al. (2022). Observations of Modified Warm Deep Water beneath Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, from an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 127 (11), e2022JC019103. DOI: 10.1029/2022JC019103
• CA Vreugdenhil, JR Taylor, PED Davis, et al. (2022). The ocean boundary layer beneath Larsen C Ice Shelf: insights from large-eddy simulations with a near-wall model. Journal of Physical Oceanography 52 (8), 1903-1926. DOI: 10.1175/JPO-D-21-0166.1
• L Middleton, PED Davis, JR Taylor, KW Nicholls (2022). Double diffusion as a driver of turbulence in the stratified boundary layer beneath George VI Ice Shelf. Geophysical Research Letters 49 (5), e2021GL096119. DOI: 10.1029/2021GL096119
• T Hattermann, KW Nicholls, HH Hellmer, PED Davis, et al. (2021). Observed interannual changes beneath Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf linked to large scale atmospheric circulation. Nature Communications 12 (1), 1-11. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23131-x
• K Makinson, D Ashurst, PGD Anker, JA Smith, DA Hodgson, PED Davis and AM Smith (2020). A new percussion hammer mechanism for a borehole deployable subglacial sediment corer. Annals of Glaciology 1-5. DOI: 10.1017/aog.2020.83
• PED Davis and KW Nicholls (2019). Turbulence Observations Beneath Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 124 (8), 5529-5550. DOI: 10.1029/2019JC015164
• PED Davis, HL Johnson and H Melling (2019). Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 124 (1), 281-301. DOI: 10.1029/2018JC014122
• PED Davis, A Jenkins, KW Nicholls, PV Brennan, EP Abrahamsen, et al. (2018). Variability in basal melting beneath Pine Island Ice Shelf on weekly to monthly timescales. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 123 (11), 8655-8669. DOI: 10.1029/2018JC014464
• SHR Rosier, C Hofstede, AM Brisbourne, T Hattermann, KW Nicholls, PED Davis, et al. (2018). A new bathymetry for the southeastern Filchner‐Ronne Ice Shelf: Implications for modern oceanographic processes and glacial history. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 123 (7), 4610-4623. DOI: 10.1029/2018JC013982
• O Huhn, T Hattermann, PED Davis, E Dunker, HH Hellmer, KW Nicholls, et al. (2018). Basal melt and freezing rates from first noble gas samples beneath an ice shelf. Geophysical Research Letters 45 (16), 8455-8461. DOI: 10.1029/2018GL079706
• PED Davis, C Lique, HL Johnson and JD Guthrie (2016). Competing effects of elevated vertical mixing and increased freshwater input on the stratification and sea ice cover in a changing Arctic Ocean. Journal of Physical Oceanography 46 (5), 1531-1553. DOI: 10.1175/JPO-D-15-0174.1
• C Lique, HL Johnson and PED Davis (2015). On the interplay between the circulation in the surface and the intermediate layers of the Arctic Ocean. Journal of Physical Oceanography 45 (5), 1393-1409. DOI: 10.1175/JPO-D-14-0183.1
• PED Davis, C Lique and HL Johnson (2014). On the link between Arctic sea ice decline and the freshwater content of the Beaufort Gyre: Insights from a simple process model. Journal of Climate 27 (21), 8170-8184. DOI: 10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00090.1

Datasets

• PED Davis, KW Nicholls and D Holland (2021). Thwaites MELT: Temperature, salinity and velocity time series from the grounding zone region of Thwaites Glacier Eastern ice shelf (2020). UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. DOI: 10.5285/97204415-683F-4D55-8B38-A2700FA94EFE
• PED Davis, KW Nicholls and D Holland (2021). Thwaites MELT: Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) profiles from the grounding zone region of Thwaites Glacier Eastern ice shelf (2020). UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. DOI: 10.5285/4ffad557-1c3c-4ea7-a73d-6d782331b08a
• PED Davis and KW Nicholls (2019). Turbulence beneath Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica (2012). UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. DOI: 10.5285/16ee2665-d0d0-41b9-a046-23b0a7369c61
• PED Davis, LB Lok, KW Nicholls and P Brennan (2018). Basal Melt Rate Beneath Pine Island Ice Shelf (2014). UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. DOI: 10.5285/0cf552a6-cd62-4da0-8289-8e4bab0a35a8

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

• Davis, P., Nicholls, K., & Holland, D. (2025). Thwaites MELT: Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) profiles from the grounding zone region of Thwaites Glacier Eastern ice shelf (2020) (Version 2.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/06193dee-0df1-4171-bc1b-4f41409a208c

• Davis, P., Nicholls, K., & Holland, D. (2024). Thwaites MELT: Velocity microstructure profiles from the grounding zone region of Thwaites Glacier Eastern Ice Shelf (2020) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/2b33895b-5069-4c49-95bd-2624c980498b

• Davis, P., & Jenkins, A. (2022). Autosub Long Range beneath Ronne Ice Shelf (2018): hydrographic, velocity and turbulence observations along the Modified Warm Deep Water Inflow (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/eb2f66fa-1c64-49af-b9e8-ce3124ce3c03

• Davis, P., Nicholls, K., & Holland, D. (2021). Thwaites MELT: Temperature, salinity and velocity time series from the grounding zone region of Thwaites Glacier Eastern ice shelf (2020) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/4ffad557-1c3c-4ea7-a73d-6d782331b08a

• Davis, P., Nicholls, K., & Holland, D. (2021). Thwaites MELT: Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) profiles from the grounding zone region of Thwaites Glacier Eastern ice shelf (2020) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/97204415-683f-4d55-8b38-a2700fa94efe

• Middleton, L., Davis, P., & Nicholls, K. (2021). Borehole data from George VI Ice Shelf (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/c4a8ad33-2c09-44e9-b4ea-2923bb4b85f1

• Davis, P., & Nicholls, K. (2019). Turbulence beneath Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica (2012) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/16ee2665-d0d0-41b9-a046-23b0a7369c61

• 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

• Lok, L., Nicholls, K., Brennan, P., & Davis, P. (2018). Basal Melt Rate Beneath Pine Island Ice Shelf (2014) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/0cf552a6-cd62-4da0-8289-8e4bab0a35a8

1. Understanding Greenland’s changing ice

   GIANT is a pioneering science project that will test the potential for early warning of a critical climate tipping point.

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2. PRESCIENT

   PRESCIENT supports long-term, strategically important measurements and capabilities for the wider science community.

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3. Reducing uncertainty in sea-level predictions

   OCEAN:ICE studies how Antarctic ice and Southern Ocean processes drive sea-level rise and influence global climate, using new data and advanced ice–ocean–climate models.

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4. 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

   

• Simulating UNder ice Shelf Extreme Topography (SUNSET)
• Melting at Thwaites Grounding Zone and its Control on Sea Level
• Filchner Ice Shelf System – Ice Shelves in a Warming World
• iSTAR – Stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

1. Update from Thwaites Glacier: when science doesn’t go your way

   Researchers from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and South Korea (KOPRI) have concluded a highly ambitious field operation at Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica.

   Read more of: Update from Thwaites Glacier: when science doesn’t go your way

   

2. Scientists’ drilling mission on remote and inaccessible glacier

   A team of researchers from the UK and Korea has reached the most inaccessible and least-understood part of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica where they will drill through the glacier to directly observe how warm ocean water is melting it from below.

   Read more of: Scientists’ drilling mission on remote and inaccessible glacier

   

3. Mysterious patterns revealed on ice shelf bottom

   An international research team deployed the uncrewed submersible ‘Ran’ underneath 350 m thick ice. They got back the very first detailed maps covering extensive areas of the underside of a glacier, revealing clues to future sea level rise.

   Read more of: Mysterious patterns revealed on ice shelf bottom

   

4. Scientists named on TIME100 list for Antarctic research

   Scientists Dr Peter Davis (British Antarctic Survey) and Dr Britney Schmidt (Cornell University) have been named in the 2023 TIME100 annual list of the 100 most influential people in the […]

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5. New close-up view of melting beneath Thwaites Glacier

   The rapid retreat of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica appears to be driven by different processes under its floating ice shelf than researchers previously understood. Novel observations from where the […]

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6. The threat from Thwaites: the retreat of Antarctica’s riskiest glacier

   Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier is retreating rapidly as a warming ocean slowly erases its ice from below, leading to a faster flow, more fracturing and a threat of collapse, according to […]

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7. Boaty returns from first mission under the ice

   The yellow high-tech autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), affectionately known as Boaty McBoatface, has successfully returned from an ambitious science expedition deep below half a kilometre of ice. It is the […]

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