Ben Davison

Bio:

I received a BSc (First Class Honours) in Physical Geography in 2016 and an MSc(Res) in Polar and Alpine Change (First Class Honours) in 2017, both from the University of Sheffield. My MSc research focused on the ‘controls on calving and ice dynamics of Kangiata Nunaata Sermia, southwest Greenland’. In September 2017, I began my PhD at the University of St Andrews, funded in part by SAGES – the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society. I am also a keen climber.

Research interests:

I am interested in the dynamics of glacier-fjord systems, particularly in Greenland. My PhD research currently has two strands. The first focuses on the seasonal interactions between meltwater and ice flow of Greenland Ice Sheet tidewater outlet glaciers using high-resolution satellite derived ice velocity estimates. In particular, the seasonal evolution of glacier subglacial drainage systems and how that modulates these interactions interests me. The second focuses on the effect that icebergs have on the delivery of oceanic heat to these tidewater glaciers. To do this, I am using a novel branch of an ocean circulation model, MITgcm, to examine the interactions between iceberg melting, glacial runoff and fjord circulation in two large fjord systems in east Greenland: Sermilik Fjord and Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord.