Professor Stephen Livingstone

School of Geography and Planning

Head of School

Professor in Physical Geography

S.J.Livingstone@Sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7965
Room F7, Geography and Planning Building

Full contact details

Professor Stephen Livingstone
School of Geography and Planning
Room F7
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
Profile

Stephen Livingstone obtained his BSc in Geography from the University of Bristol in 2006, before moving to Durham University where he undertook a PhD titled "Reconstructing ice dynamics in the central sector of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet", which was completed in 2010.

Since then he has held a one-year PDRA position at Durham University, before obtaining a NERC Fellowship and moving to Sheffield in 2011.

In 2013 he was awarded a Sheffield University Vice Chancellor Fellowship, which focuses on the drainage of meltwater at the bed of palaeo-ice sheets.

He was appointed as a Lecturer in Physical Geography at The University of Sheffield in September 2016 and Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography in 2020.

Research interests

I am a glacial geologist and glaciologist whose research interests include reconstructing and understanding ice sheet dynamics and subglacial processes from geological and geophysical evidence in both marine and terrestrial environments.

They can be summarised as follows:

  1. Investigating the drainage and storage of meltwater through palaeo- and contemporary ice sheets.
  2. The identification and investigation of landform-sediment assemblages and physical processes at the bed of palaeo-ice streams, and the controls governing their retreat.
  3. Reconstructing the Late Quaternary history and dynamics of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet.

Current Research

Investigating the drainage and storage of meltwater at the bed of ice sheets

Surface meltwater

On the Greenland Ice Sheet, surface melt-water penetrating to the ice bed dominates the subglacial hydrological system and drives short-term ice-flow variations. My research explores the role of ice surface and bed roughness in controlling the current and future distribution and pattern of surface meltwater drainage, where it can access the bed and its impact on ice dynamics. Surface meltwater is also widespread around the fringes of Antarctica, but whether it reaches the bed and influences ice velocity is currently poorly understood. I am involved in research that uses feature tracking to monitor ice velocity and regional climate models to simulate melt to investigate climatic influences on ice flow. 

Greenland Ice Sheet

How do ice sheets drain meltwater at their bed?

I am interested in how ice sheets drain meltwater at their bed. Large volumes of meltwater exist beneath the Earth’s polar ice-sheets. The water lubricates the bed and is a crucial but largely unknown influence on ice-flow and stability. Resolving this issue is essential for producing computer models that can reliably forecast the fate of ice sheets. By identifying and mapping meltwater landform at the ice sheet scale using high resolution topographic models, I aim to produce a detailed characterisation of the form, evolution and drainage of the meltwater system at the base of former ice sheets. This will allow an assessment of the plumbing network and the drainage of meltwater through it, and its effect on ice behaviour and ocean systems.

Subglacial Lakes

Subglacial lakes are bodies of water that lie at the base of an ice sheet between the ice and substrate. They provide habitats for life and can modulate ice flow, basal hydrology, biogeochemical fluxes and geomorphic activity. My research involves both their investigation beneath the modern Greenland Ice Sheet using airborne radar and multi-temporal topographic models and also looking for the geological record of lakes that once existed beneath former ice sheets (e.g. the European and North American palaeo-ice sheets).

The identification and investigation of landform-sediment assemblages and physical processes at the bed of palaeo-ice streams and the controls governing their retreat.

This research focuses on the processes that trigger and controls ice stream grounding-line retreat. This includes using geophysical imagery to map glacial landforms left behind by the former ice streams, and analysis of the sediments deposited, in order to reconstruct the pattern and behaviour of former ice flow and to provide information on the processes that occur at the ice-bed interface. An important component of this research has been to use the geomorphological mapping of glacial landforms to constrain and test numerical ice-sheet models, to try to better understand the controlling factors governing grounding-line retreat.

Reconstructing the Late Quaternary history and dynamics of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet

My PhD research focussed on reconstructing the central sector of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet during the last glacial cycle. This involved glacial landform mapping and sedimentological analysis. Recently I have revisited the area to try and constrain the deglacial history of the four major palaeo-ice streams (Forth, Tweed, Tyne and Stainmore), which drained eastwards across the country, using cosmogenic nuclide and radiocarbon dating techniques.

Although the Geography Department in the University of Sheffield sits on the doorstep of the Peak District, we still do not really know whether this upland region was glaciated during the last glacial cycle. To rectify this, I have led a Departmental initiative to decipher the glacial history of the Peak District. The results of this are being presented in this blog: peakdistrictglaciation.blogspot.co.uk

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).
  • Fan Y, Ke C-Q, Luo L, Shen X, Livingstone SJ & Lea JM (2025) . Journal of Glaciology, 71.
  • Szuman I, Kalita JZ, Diemont CR, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD & Margold M (2024) . The Cryosphere, 18(5), 2407-2428.
  • 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.
  • Rex CL, Bateman MD, Buckland PC, Panagiotakopulu E, Livingstone SJ, Hardiman M & Eddey L (2023) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 299.
  • Stevens D, Ely JC, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD, Butcher FEG & Hewitt I (2023) . Journal of Glaciology, 69(274), 397-409.
  • Clark CD, Ely JC, Hindmarsh RCA, Bradley S, Ignéczi A, Fabel D, Ó Cofaigh C, Chiverrell RC, Scourse J, Benetti S , Bradwell T et al (2022) . Boreas, 51(4), 699-758.
  • Hornsey J, Rowan AV, Kirkbride MP, Livingstone SJ, Fabel D, Rodes A, Quincey DJ, Hubbard B & Jomelli V (2022) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 127(8).
  • Livingstone SJ (2022) . Nature, 607(7920), 659-660.
  • Dewald N, Livingstone SJ & Clark CD (2022) . Journal of Maps, 18(2), 382-396.
  • Vérité J, Ravier É, Bourgeois O, Bessin P, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD, Pochat S & Mourgues R (2022) . Geomorphology, 408.
  • Eddey LJ, Bateman MD, Livingstone SJ & Lee JR (2022) . Journal of Quaternary Science, 37(8), 1407-1421.
  • 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.
  • Szuman I, Kalita JZ, Ewertowski MW, Clark CD, Livingstone SJ & Kasprzak L (2021) . Earth System Science Data, 13, 4635-4651.
  • Dewald N, Lewington ELM, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD & Storrar RD (2021) . Geomorphology, 392.
  • 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) .
  • Benetti S, Chiverrell RC, Cofaigh CÓ, Burke M, Medialdea A, Small D, Ballantyne C, Bateman MD, Callard SL, Wilson P , Fabel D et al (2021) . Journal of Quaternary Science, 36(5), 833-870.
  • 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) .
  • Stoker B, Livingstone S, Barr I, Ruffell A, Storrar R & Roberson S (2021) . Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 132(4), 409-425.
  • O Cofaigh C, Callard SL, Roberts DH, Chiverrell RC, Ballantyne CK, Evans DJA, Saher M, Van Lendeghem KJJ, Smedley R, Bennetti S , Burke M et al (2021) . Journal of Quaternary Science, 36(5), 805-832.
  • Lea J, Shiggins C, Brough S, Livingstone S & McNabb R (2021) .
  • Rawlins L, Rippin D, Sole A, Livingstone S & Yang K (2021) .
  • Szuman I, Kalita JZ, Ewertowski MW, Clark CD & Livingstone SJ (2021) . Boreas, 50(3), 764-780.
  • Lu Y, Yang K, Lu X, Smith LC, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ, Fettweis X & Li M (2020) . Journal of Maps, 16(2), 834-846.
  • Lewington ELM, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD, Sole AJ & Storrar RD (2020) . The Cryosphere, 14, 2949-2976.
  • 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).
  • Livingstone S (2020) .
  • Livingstone S (2020) .
  • Livingstone S (2020) .
  • Lewington E, Livingstone S, Clark C, Sole A & Storrar R (2020) .
  • Bowling J, Leeson A, McMillan M, Livingstone S & Sole A (2020) .
  • Hepburn AJ, Ng FSL, Livingstone SJ, Holt TO & Hubbard B (2020) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 125(2).
  • Lewington ELM, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD, Sole AJ & Storrar RD (2020) .
  • Callard SL, Cofaigh CÓ, Benetti S, Chiverrell RC, Van Landeghem KJJ, Saher MH, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD, Small D, Fabel D & Moreton SG (2020) . Marine Geology, 420.
  • Storrar RD, Ewertowski M, Tomczyk AM, Barr ID, Livingstone SJ, Ruffell A, Stoker BJ & Evans DJA (2019) . Boreas, 49(1), 211-231.
  • Davies B, Livingstone S, Roberts D, Evans D, Gheorghiu D & O'Cofaigh C (2019) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 225.
  • Livingstone SJ, Sole AJ, Storrar RD, Harrison D, Ross N & Bowling J (2019) . The Cryosphere, 13(10), 2789-2796.
  • Lovell H, Livingstone S, Boston C, Booth A, Storrar R & Barr I (2019) . Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44(13), 2685-2702.
  • Tuckett PA, Ely JC, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ, Davison BJ, van Wessem JM & Howard J (2019) . Nature Communications, 10.
  • Livingstone S (2019) .
  • Livingstone S (2019) .
  • Lewington E, Livingstone S, Sole A, Clark C & Ng F (2019) . Geomorphology, 339, 70-86.
  • 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.
  • Livingstone S (2019) .
  • Ó Cofaigh C, Weilbach K, Lloyd JM, Benetti S, Callard SL, Purcell C, Chiverrell RC, Dunlop P, Livingstone SJ, Saher M , Van Landeghem KJJ et al (2019) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 208, 76-96.
  • Davison BJ, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ, Cowton TR & Nienow PW (2019) . Frontiers in Earth Science, 7.
  • Callard SL, Ó Cofaigh C, Benetti S, Chiverrell RC, Van Landeghem KJJ, Saher MH, Gales JA, Small D, Clark CD, Livingstone SJ , Fabel D et al (2018) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 201, 280-302.
  • Ng FSL, Igneczi A, Sole AJ & Livingstone SJ (2018) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123(10), 2319-2340.
  • Chiverrell R, Smedley R, Small D, Ballantyne C, Burke M, Callard L, Clark CD, Duller G, Evans D, Fabel D , van Landeghem K et al (2018) . Journal of Quaternary Science, 33(7), 739-762.
  • Igneczi A, Sole A, Livingstone S, Ng F & Yang K (2018) . Frontiers in Earth Science, 6.
  • Barr I, Dokukin MD, Kougkoulos I, Livingstone SJ, Lovell H, MaÅ‚ecki J & Muraviev AY (2018) . Geosciences, 8(6).
  • Clark CD & Livingstone SJ (2018) . Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 43(7), 1518-1528.
  • Ross N, Sole AJ, Livingstone SJ, Igneczi A & Morlighem M (2018) . Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, 50(1).
  • Livingstone S (2017) .
  • Livingstone S (2017) .
  • Spagnolo M, Bartholomaus TC, Clark CD, Stokes CR, Atkinson N, Dowdeswell JA, Ely J, Graham AGC, Hogan KA, King EC , Larter RD et al (2017) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 122(7), 1355-1373.
  • Livingstone SJ, Chu W, Ely JC & Kingslake J (2017) . Geology, 45(6), 551-554.
  • Livingstone SJ, Ó Cofaigh C, Hogan KA & Dowdeswell JA (2016) . Geological Society, London, Memoirs, 46(1), 485-492.
  • Ó Cofaigh C, Livingstone SJ & Dowdeswell JA (2016) . Geological Society, London, Memoirs, 46(1), 175-176.
  • Utting D, Atkinson N, Pawley S & Livingstone SJ (2016) . Journal of Quaternary Science, 31(7), 769-787.
  • Igneczi A, Sole A, Livingstone SJ, Leeson A, Fettweis X, Selmes N, Gourmelen N & Briggs K (2016) . Geophysical Research Letters.
  • Patton H, Swift DA, Clark CD, Livingstone SJ & Cook SJ (2016) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 148, 128-145.
  • Livingstone SJ & Clark CD (2016) . Earth Surface Dynamics, 4, 567-589.
  • Livingstone SJ, Utting DJ, Ruffell A, Clark CD, Pawley S, Atkinson N & Fowler AC (2016) . Nature Communications, 7.
  • Livingstone S (2016) .
  • Jamieson SSR, Stokes CR, Livingstone SJ, Vieli A, O'Cofaigh C, Hillenbrand C-D & Spagnolo M (2016) . Journal of Glaciology, 62(232), 285-298.
  • Livingstone SJ, Stokes CR, Ó Cofaigh C, Hillenbrand CD, Vieli A, Jamieson SSR, Spagnolo M & Dowdeswell JA (2016) . Journal of Glaciology, 62(232), 270-284.
  • Livingstone SJ & Clark CD (2016) .
  • Livingstone SJ, Storrar RD, Hillier JK, Stokes CR, Clark CD & Tarasov L (2015) . Geomorphology, 246, 104-112.
  • Stokes CR, Tarasov L, Blomdin R, Cronin TM, Fisher TG, Gyllencreutz R, Hättestrand C, Heyman J, Hindmarsh RCA, Hughes ALC , Jakobsson M et al (2015) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 125, 15-49.
  • Livingstone SJ, Piotrowski JA, Bateman MD, Ely JC & Clark CD (2015) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 112, 86-108.
  • Patton H, Swift DA, Clark CD, Livingstone SJ, Cook SJ & Hubbard A (2015) . Geomorphology, 232, 209-223.
  • Hillier JK, Smith MJ, Armugam R, Barr I, Boston CM, Clark CD, Ely J, Fankl A, Greenwood SL, Gosselin L , Hättestrand C et al (2014) . Journal of Maps, 11(5), 719-729.
  • O Cofaigh C, Davies BJ, Livingstone SJ, Smith JA, Johnson JS, Hocking EP, Hodgson DA, Anderson JB, Bentley MJ, Canals M , Domack E et al (2014) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 100, 87-110.
  • Bentley MJ, Cofaigh CO, Anderson JB, Conway H, Davies B, Graham AGC, Hillenbrand C-D, Hodgson DA, Jamieson SSR, Larter RD , Mackintosh A et al (2014) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 100, 1-9.
  • Livingstone SJ, Stokes CR, Jamieson SSR, O'Cofaigh C, Vieli A & Hillenbrand C-D (2014) . Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 119(2), 247-263.
  • Livingstone SJ, Clark CD, Woodward J & Kingslake J (2013) . The Cryosphere, 7, 1721-1740.
  • Livingstone SJ, Ó Cofaigh C, Stokes CR, Vieli A, Jamieson SSR & Hillenbrand C-D (2013) . Journal of Maps.
  • Livingstone SJ, Clark CD & Tarasov L (2013) . Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 375, 13-33.
  • Livingstone SJ, Clark CD & Woodward J (2013) .
  • Livingstone SJ, Clark CD, Piotrowski JA, Tranter M, Bentley MJ, Hodson A, Swift DA & Woodward J (2012) . Quaternary Science Reviews, 53(C), 88-110.
  • Livingstone SJ, Cofaigh CO, Stokes CR, Hillenbrand C-D, Vieli A & Jamieson SSR (2012) . EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS, 111(1-2), 90-128.
  • Livingstone SJ, Evans DJA, Cofaigh CO, Davies BJ, Merritt JW, Huddart D, Mitchell WA, Roberts DH & Yorke L (2012) . EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS, 111(1-2), 25-55.
  • Livingstone SJ, Evans DJA & Cofaigh CO (2010) . QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, 29(19-20), 2544-2570.
  • Livingstone SJ, Ócofaigh C, Evans DJA & Palmer A (2010) . Boreas, 39(3), 505-527.
  • Livingstone SJ, Evans DJA, Cofaigh CO & Hopkins J (2010) . PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGISTS ASSOCIATION, 121(4), 423-443.
  • Livingstone SJ, Cofaigh CO & Evans DJA (2010) . Journal of Quaternary Science, 25(3), 354-370.
  • Evans DJA, Livingstone SJ, Vieli A & Cofaigh CO (2009) . QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, 28(7-8), 739-757.
  • Livingstone SJ, Cofaigh CO & Evans DJA (2008) . JOURNAL OF MAPS, 4, 358-377.
  • 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.
  • Storrar RD & Livingstone SJ () . Journal of Maps, 13(2), 153-164.
  • Livingstone SJ, Roberts DH, Davies BJ, Evans DA, Ó Cofaigh C & Gheorghiu DM () . Journal of Quaternary Science.
  • Jamieson SSR, Vieli A, Livingstone SJ, Ó Cofaigh C, Stokes CR, Hillenbrand C-D & Dowdeswell JA () . Nature Geoscience.

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
  • Storrar R, Jones A, Butcher FEG, Dewald N, Clark C, Delaney C, Evans D, Lewington E, Livingstone S & Stokes C () . EGU General Assembly 2021 Abstracts. Virtual conference, 19 April 2021 - 19 April 2021.

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) .
  • Jones A, Swift D & Livingstone S (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) .
  • 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) .
  • 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) .
  • Szuman I, Kalita JZ, Diemont CR, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD & Margold M (2023) .
  • 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) .
  • Stevens D, Ely J, Livingstone S, Clark C, Butcher F & Hewitt I (2022) .
  • Diemont CR, Clark CD, Livingstone SJ & Hughes ALC (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.
  • Szuman I, Kalita JZ, Diemont CR, Livingstone SJ, Clark CD & Margold M (2023) , 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.
  • Tuckett PA, Ely JC, Sole AJ, Lea JM, Livingstone SJ, Jones JM & van Wessem JM (2021) , Copernicus GmbH.
Grants

2011-2014: Predicting and investigating subglacial lakes beneath the former European and North American ice sheets. (£261,457.39 from NERC – Natural Environmental Research Council)

Teaching activities

Stephen teaches on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses including:

  • GEO6669 Polar and Alpine Change Research Project
  • GEO3002 Specialised Topic – Advanced Geospatial Analysis
  • GEO388 Advances in Cryosphere Science
  • GEO356 Geographical Research Project
  • GEO3007 Lake District Field Class
  • GEO262 Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems