Dr Andrew Sole

School of Geography and Planning

Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography

Andrew Sole profile photo
Profile picture of Andrew Sole profile photo
A.Sole@Sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7951
F18, Geography and Planning Building

Full contact details

Dr Andrew Sole
School of Geography and Planning
F18
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
Profile

Andrew Sole received an MA (First Class Honours) in Physical Geography from the University of Edinburgh in 2005 and a PhD in glaciology (entitled 'Investigating Greenland Outlet Glaciers') from the University of Bristol in 2010. From 2009 to 2012 Andrew worked on ‘The role of atmospheric forcing on the dynamic stability of Greenland’s outlet glaciers’ as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Andrew joined the University of Sheffield in 2012 as a Faculty Research Fellow, becoming a Lecturer in Physical Geography in 2017 and Senior Lecturer in 2020.

Research interests

Andrew's research is focused on furthering our understanding of the mass balance and dynamic stability of glaciers and ice sheets (particularly the Greenland Ice Sheet) in a changing climate through the use of satellite and airborne remote sensing, fieldwork and numerical modelling.

Current research

The role of atmospheric forcing on the dynamic stability of Greenland’s outlet glaciers

This work aims to quantify the effect of surface generated melt-water fluctuations on ice motion at the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. There has been significant recent research focus on the role that surface melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet might play in forcing changes in its flow rate in a warmer climate. Since 2009, Andrew has been part of a team collecting ice motion, ice thickness, air temperature and hydrology data at both a land and ocean terminating transect of the Greenland Ice Sheet to distances of more than 100 km from the ice margin. The resulting data are being used to further our understanding of the links between ice sheet hydrology and dynamics and to improve the representation these links in ice sheet models.

Leverett Glacier, west Greenland (Photo: Andrew Sole)

Interactions between Greenland’s marine-terminating outlet glaciers and the ocean

The retreat and acceleration of Greenland Ice Sheet marine-terminating outlet glaciers, which are responsible for a large portion of the total mass lost from the ice sheet each year, have been linked to regional ocean warming. Fjords constitute an important link between these outlet glaciers and the deep ocean, however the processes controlling propagation of warm water along them to the glaciers' calving termini are poorly understood. The primary aim of this research is to investigate how variations in ice sheet runoff and ocean temperature perturb fjord circulation, the transport of oceanic heat along fjords, ice front melt rates and thus tidewater glacier stability. The findings are being used to inform ice sheet and ocean models which seek to simulate the evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet under climate change scenarios.

The calving front of Kangiata Nunata Sermia, southwest Greenland (Photo: Andrew Sole)

Short-term ice flow variations on the Antarctic Peninsula

Atmospheric warming has increased surface melting across the Antarctic Peninsula, yet the impact of this on ice dynamics has yet to be considered. This research uses the European Space Agency’s Sentinel satellite constellation to monitor ice motion, and regional climate models to simulate ice melt, in order to investigate climatic influences on ice flow.

Transfer of basal variability to the surface of ice masses and its influence on hydrology

The slipperiness and relief at the bed of ice sheets affects their surface topography, which in turn controls the spatial distribution of supraglacial lakes and rivers. This research investigates the long-term effects of changing ice surface topography on ice sheet hydrology and dynamics.
Publications

Journal articles

  • Bowling JS, McMillan M, Leeson AA, Livingstone SJ, Sole AJ, Ng FSL, Karlsson NB, Nienow P, Boxall K, Noël B , van den Broeke MR et al (2025) . Nature Geoscience, 18, 740-746.
  • Tuckett PA, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ, Jones JM, Lea JM & Gilbert E (2025) . Nature Climate Change, 15(7), 775-783.
  • Crick R, Livingstone SJ & Sole AJ (2025) . Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 50(8).
  • Lu X, Sole A, Livingstone SJ, Cheng G, Jiang L, Chudley T, Noël B & Li D (2025) . Geophysical Research Letters, 52(4).
  • Stuart MB, Davies M, Fisk C, Allen E, Sole AJ, Ing R, Hobbs MJ & Willmott JR (2024) . Science of The Total Environment, 951.
  • Ing RN, Nienow PW, Sole AJ, Tedstone AJ & Mankoff KD (2024) . Geophysical Research Letters, 51(4).
  • SCOFFIELD AC, ROWAN AV, QUINCEY DJ, CARRIVICK JL, SOLE AJ & COOK SJ (2024) . Journal of Glaciology, 70, 1-11.
  • Vérité J, Livingstone SJ, Ravier E, McMartin I, Campbell J, Lewington ELM, Dewald N, Clark CD, Sole AJ & Storrar RD (2024) . Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 49(1), 170-196.
  • Rawlins LD, Rippin DM, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ & Yang K (2023) . The Cryosphere, 17(11), 4729-4750.
  • Fan Y, Ke C-Q, Shen X, Xiao Y, Livingstone SJ & Sole AJ (2023) . The Cryosphere, 17(4), 1775-1786.
  • Goliber S, Black T, Catania G, Lea JM, Olsen H, Cheng D, Bevan S, Bjørk A, Bunce C, Brough S , Carr JR et al (2022) . The Cryosphere, 16(8), 3215-3233.
  • Davison BJ, Cowton T, Sole A, Cottier F & Nienow P (2022) . The Cryosphere, 16(4), 1181-1196.
  • Livingstone SJ, Li Y, Rutishauser A, Sanderson RJ, Winter K, Mikucki JA, Björnsson H, Bowling JS, Chu W, Dow C , Fricker HA et al (2022) . Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 3(2), 106-124.
  • Tuckett PA, Ely JC, Sole AJ, Lea JM, Livingstone SJ, Jones JM & van Wessem JM (2021) . The Cryosphere, 15(12), 5785-5804.
  • Tuckett PA, Ely JC, Sole AJ, Lea JM, Livingstone SJ, Jones JM & van Wessem JM (2021) .
  • Bowling J, Leeson A, McMillan M, Livingstone S, Sole A, Nienow P, Noël B, Broeke MVD, Slater T, Sörensen LS , Simonsen S et al (2021) .
  • Livingstone S, Björnsson H, Bowling J, Chu W, Dow C, Fricker H, Li Y, McMillan M, Mikucki J, Ng F , Ross N et al (2021) .
  • Bunce C, Nienow P, Sole A, Cowton T & Davison B (2021) . Journal of Glaciology, 67(262), 343-352.
  • Rawlins L, Rippin D, Sole A, Livingstone S & Yang K (2021) .
  • Lu Y, Yang K, Lu X, Smith LC, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ, Fettweis X & Li M (2020) . Journal of Maps, 16(2), 834-846.
  • Davison BJ, Cowton TR, Cottier FR & Sole AJ (2020) . Nature Communications, 11(1).
  • Lewington ELM, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD, Sole AJ & Storrar RD (2020) . The Cryosphere, 14, 2949-2976.
  • Davison BJ, Sole AJ, Cowton TR, Lea JM, Slater DA, Fahrner D & Nienow PW (2020) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 125(9).
  • Sole A, Igneczi A, Smith MP & Clark C (2020) Investigations to constrain retreat of the Greenland Ice Sheet: glacial geomorphology and sampling for cosmogenic exposure dating of the Centrumsø area, Kronprins Christian Land, northeast Greenland. Cave and Karst Science, 47(2), 66-73.
  • Sole A (2020) .
  • Livingstone SJ, Lewington ELM, Clark CD, Storrar RD, Sole AJ, McMartin I, Dewald N & Ng F (2020) . The Cryosphere, 14(6), 1989-2004.
  • Tuckett PA, Ely JC, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ, Davison BJ & van Wessem JM (2020) . Nature Communications, 11(1).
  • Lewington E, Livingstone S, Clark C, Sole A & Storrar R (2020) .
  • Bowling J, Leeson A, McMillan M, Livingstone S & Sole A (2020) .
  • Davison B, Cowton T, Cottier F & Sole A (2020) .
  • Lewington ELM, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD, Sole AJ & Storrar RD (2020) .
  • Mallinson L, Swift DA & Sole A (2019) . Geografiska Annaler Series A: Physical Geography, 101(4), 334-349.
  • Livingstone SJ, Sole AJ, Storrar RD, Harrison D, Ross N & Bowling J (2019) . The Cryosphere, 13(10), 2789-2796.
  • Tuckett PA, Ely JC, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ, Davison BJ, van Wessem JM & Howard J (2019) . Nature Communications, 10.
  • Moyer AN, Sutherland DA, Nienow PW & Sole AJ (2019) . Geophysical Research Letters, 46(15), 8903-8912.
  • Lewington E, Livingstone S, Sole A, Clark C & Ng F (2019) . Geomorphology, 339, 70-86.
  • Moyer A, Nienow P, Gourmelen N, Sole A, Slater D, Truffer M & Fahnestock M (2019) . Journal of Glaciology, 65(252), 523-530.
  • Yang K, Smith L, Sole A, Livingstone SJ, Cheng X, Chen Z & Li M (2019) . International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 78, 1-13.
  • Davison BJ, Sole AJ, Livingstone S, Cowton TR & Nienow PW (2019) . Frontiers in Earth Science, 7.
  • Ng FSL, Igneczi A, Sole AJ & Livingstone SJ (2018) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123(10), 2319-2340.
  • Igneczi A, Sole A, Livingstone S, Ng F & Yang K (2018) . Frontiers in Earth Science, 6.
  • Cowton TR, Sole AJ, Nienow PW, Slater DA & Christoffersen P (2018) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(31), 7907-7912.
  • Ross N, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ, Igneczi A & Morlighem M (2018) . Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, 50(1).
  • Moyer AN, Nienow PW, Gourmelen N, Sole A & Slater DA (2017) . Frontiers in Earth Science, 5.
  • Nienow PW, Sole AJ, Slater DA & Cowton TR (2017) . Current Climate Change Reports, 3(4), 330-344.
  • Slater D, Nienow P, Sole A, Cowton T, Mottram R, Langen P & Mair D (2017) . Journal of Glaciology, 63(238), 309-323.
  • Slater DA, Nienow PW, Goldberg DN, Cowton TR & Sole AJ (2017) . Geophysical Research Letters, 44(5), 2360-2368.
  • Williams CN, Cornford SL, Jordan TM, Dowdeswell JA, Siegert MJ, Clark CD, Swift DA, Sole A, Fenty I & Bamber JL (2017) . The Cryosphere, 11(1), 363-380.
  • Cowton T, Sole A, Nienow P, Slater D, Wilton D & Hanna E (2016) . Journal of Glaciology, 62(236), 1167-1180.
  • Igneczi A, Sole A, Livingstone SJ, Leeson A, Fettweis X, Selmes N, Gourmelen N & Briggs K (2016) . Geophysical Research Letters.
  • Cowton T, Nienow P, Sole A, Bartholomew I & Mair D (2016) . Journal of Glaciology, 62(233), 451-466.
  • Zhao Y, Bigg GR, Billings SA, Hanna E, Sole AJ, Wei H-L, Kadirkamanathan V & Wilton DJ (2016) . Cold Regions Science and Technology, 121, 167-178.
  • Hawkings JR, Wadham JL, Tranter M, Lawson E, Sole A, Cowton T, Tedstone AJ, Bartholomew I, Nienow P, Chandler D & Telling J (2015) . Geochemical Perspectives Letters, 94-104.
  • de la Pena S, Howat IM, Nienow PW, van den Broeke MR, Mosley-Thompson E, Price SF, Mair D, Noel B & Sole AJ (2015) . Cryosphere, 9(3), 1203-1211.
  • Slater DA, Nienow PW, Cowton TR, Goldberg DN & Sole AJ (2015) . Geophysical Research Letters, 42(8), 2861-2868.
  • Cowton T, Slater D, Sole A, Goldberg D & Nienow P (2015) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 120(2), 796-812.
  • de la Peña S, Howat IM, Nienow PW, van den Broeke MR, Mosley-Thompson E, Price SF, Mair D, Noël B & Sole AJ (2015) .
  • Kingslake J, Ng F & Sole A (2015) . Journal of Glaciology, 61(225), 185-199.
  • Tedstone AJ, Nienow PW, Gourmelen N & Sole AJ (2014) . Geophysical Research Letters, 41(24), 8910-8917.
  • Chauché N, Hubbard A, Gascard J-C, Box JE, Bates R, Koppes M, Sole A, Christoffersen P & Patton H (2014) . The Cryosphere, 8(4), 1457-1468.
  • Clason CC, Mair DWF, Nienow PW, Bartholomew ID, Sole A, Palmer S & Schwanghart W (2014) .
  • Chauché N, Hubbard A, Gascard J-C, Box JE, Bates R, Koppes M, Sole A & Patton H (2013) .
  • Tedstone AJ, Nienow PW, Sole AJ, Mair DWF, Cowton TR, Bartholomew ID & King MA (2013) . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 110(49), 19719-19724.
  • Shannon SR, Payne AJ, Bartholomew ID, van den Broeke MR, Edwards TL, Fettweis X, Gagliardini O, Gillet-Chaulet F, Goelzer H, Hoffman MJ , Huybrechts P et al (2013) . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 110(35), 14156-14161.
  • Sole A, Nienow P, Bartholomew I, Mair D, Cowton T, Tedstone A & King MA (2013) . Geophysical Research Letters, 40(15), 3940-3944.
  • Chandler DM, Wadham JL, Lis GP, Cowton T, Sole A, Bartholomew I, Telling J, Nienow P, Bagshaw EB, Mair D , Vinen S et al (2013) . Nature Geoscience, 6(3), 195-198.
  • Cowton T, Nienow P, Sole A, Wadham J, Lis G, Bartholomew I, Mair D & Chandler D (2013) . Journal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface, 118(1), 29-41.
  • Sole AJ, Payne AJ, Nienow PW, Christoffersen P, Cottier FR & Inall ME (2012) .
  • Bartholomew I, Nienow P, Sole A, Mair D, Cowton T & King MA (2012) . JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE, 117.
  • Telling J, Stibal M, Anesio AM, Tranter M, Nias I, Cook J, Bellas C, Lis G, Wadham JL, Sole A , Nienow P et al (2012) . Biogeosciences, 9(7), 2431-2442.
  • Cowton T, Nienow P, Bartholomew I, Sole A & Mair D (2012) . GEOLOGY, 40(4), 343-346.
  • Bartholomew I, Nienow P, Sole A, Mair D, Cowton T & King MA (2012) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 117(3).
  • Telling J, Stibal M, Anesio AM, Tranter M, Nias I, Cook J, Lis G, Wadham JL, Sole A, Nienow P & Hodson A (2011) .
  • Sole AJ, Mair DWF, Nienow PW, Bartholomew ID, King MA, Burke MJ & Joughin I (2011) . JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE, 116.
  • Bartholomew ID, Nienow P, Sole A, Mair D, Cowton T, King MA & Palmer S (2011) . EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS, 307(3-4), 271-278.
  • Bartholomew I, Nienow P, Sole A, Mair D, Cowton T, Palmer S & Wadham J (2011) . Geophysical Research Letters, 38(8).
  • Bartholomew I, Nienow P, Mair D, Hubbard A, King MA & Sole A (2010) . NATURE GEOSCIENCE, 3(6), 408-411.
  • Sole A, Payne T, Bamber J, Nienow P & Krabill W (2008) . CRYOSPHERE, 2(2), 205-218.
  • Sole A, Payne T, Bamber J, Nienow P & Krabill W (2008) .
  • McMillan M, Nienow P, Shepherd A, Benham T & Sole A (2007) . EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS, 262(3-4), 484-492.
  • Livingstone SJ, Li Y, Rutishauser A, Sanderson RJ, Winter K, Mikucki JA, Björnsson H, Bowling JS, Chu W, Dow CF , Fricker HA et al () . Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 3(2), 156-156.
  • Bowling J, Livingstone S, Sole A & Chu W () . Nature Communications, 10.
  • Clason CC, Mair DWF, Nienow PW, Bartholomew ID, Sole A, Palmer S & Schwanghart W () . The Cryosphere, 9(1), 123-138.

Conference proceedings

  • Livingstone S, Lewington ELM, Clark CD, Storrar RD, Sole AJ, McMartin I, Dewald N, Ng F, Vérité J & Ravier E (2021) . Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs

Software, code or databases

  • Lewington E, Livingstone S, Sole A, Ng F & Clark C .

Datasets

  • Livingstone S, Lewington E, Clark C, Storrar R, Sole A, Mcmartin I, Dewald N & Ng F .
  • Tuckett P, Ely J, Sole A, Livingstone S, davison B, Wessem JMV & howard J .

Other

  • Hawkins J, Killingbeck S, Peacey M, Doyle S, Craw L, Thorpe S, Veness R, Sole A, Livingstone S, Ross N , Booth A et al (2025) .
  • Stuart M, Davies M, Fisk C, Allen E, Sole A, Ing R, Hobbs M & Willmott J (2025) .
  • Gimbert F, Ross N, Le Bris T, Barruol G, Young TJ, Doyle S, Livingstone S, Sole A, Gilbert A, Ing R , Bagshaw L et al (2025) .
  • Peacey M, Livingstone S, Doyle S, Sole A, Storrar R, Edwards L, Bagshaw E, Chudley T, Ross N, Buzzard S , Booth A et al (2025) .
  • Ing R, Nienow P, Sole A, Tedstone A & Mankoff K (2025) .
  • Jackson L, Williams S, Hibbert F, Dangendorf S, Garrett E, Sole A & Gehrels R (2025) .
  • Doyle S, Livingstone S, Sole A, Storrar R, Young TJ, Ing R, Ross N, Bagshaw L, Clason C, Edwards L , Prior-Jones M et al (2025) .
  • Rawlins LD, Rippin DM, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ & Yang K (2023) .
  • Fan Y, Ke C-Q, Shen X, Xiao Y, Livingstone SJ & Sole AJ (2022) .
  • Scoffield A, Rowan A & Sole A (2022) .
  • Tuckett P, Ely J, Sole A, Livingstone S, Lea J & Jones J (2022) .
  • Sole A, Davison B & Livingstone S (2022) .
  • Rawlins L, Rippin D, Sole A, Livingstone S & Yang K (2022) .

Preprints

  • Lu X, Jiang L, Li D, Liu Y, Sole A & Livingstone SJ (2025) , Copernicus GmbH.
  • Rawlins LD, Rippin DM, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ & Yang K (2023) , Copernicus GmbH.
  • Tuckett P, Ely J, Sole A, Livingstone S, Jones J, Lea J & Gilbert E (2022) , Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
  • Fan Y, Ke C-Q, Shen X, Xiao Y, Livingstone SJ & Sole AJ (2022) , Copernicus GmbH.
  • Goliber S, Black T, Catania G, Lea JM, Olsen H, Cheng D, Bevan S, Bjørk A, Bunce C, Brough S , Carr JR et al (2021) , Copernicus GmbH.
  • Tuckett PA, Ely JC, Sole AJ, Lea JM, Livingstone SJ, Jones JM & van Wessem JM (2021) , Copernicus GmbH.