Dr Andrew Sole
School of Geography and Planning
Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography
A.Sole@Sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7951
+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
School of Geography and Planning
F18
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
- Profile
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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
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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
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Journal articles
- Smartphone-based hyperspectral imaging for ice sheet and proglacial applications in South-West Greenland. Science of The Total Environment, 951, 175516-175516.
- Minimal Impact of Late‐Season Melt Events on Greenland Ice Sheet Annual Motion. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(4).
- Conceptual model for the formation of bedforms along subglacial meltwater corridors (SMCs) by variable ice‐water‐bed interactions. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. View this article in WRRO
- TermPicks: a century of Greenland glacier terminus data for use in scientific and machine learning applications. The Cryosphere, 16(8), 3215-3233.
- Modelling the effect of submarine iceberg melting on glacier-adjacent water properties. The Cryosphere, 16(4), 1181-1196.
- Publisher Correction: Subglacial lakes and their changing role in a warming climate (Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, (2022), 10.1038/s43017-021-00246-9). Nature Reviews Earth and Environment.
- Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier. Journal of Glaciology.
- Iceberg melting substantially modifies oceanic heat flux towards a major Greenlandic tidewater glacier. Nature Communications, 11(1). View this article in WRRO
- Subglacial drainage evolution modulates seasonal ice flow variability of three tidewater glaciers in southwest Greenland. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 125(9).
- 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.
- A quasi-annual record of time-transgressive esker formation : implications for ice-sheet reconstruction and subglacial hydrology. The Cryosphere, 14(6), 1989-2004. View this article in WRRO
- Reply to: “Impact of marine processes on flow dynamics of northern Antarctic Peninsula outlet glaciers” by Rott et al.. Nature Communications, 11(1). View this article in WRRO
- Proglacial icings as indicators of glacier thermal regime: ice thickness changes and icing occurrence in Svalbard. Geografiska Annaler Series A: Physical Geography, 101(4), 334-349. View this article in WRRO
- Brief communication : subglacial lake drainage beneath Isunguata Sermia, west Greenland : geomorphic and ice dynamic effects. The Cryosphere, 13(10), 2789-2796. View this article in WRRO
- Rapid accelerations of Antarctic Peninsula outlet glaciers driven by surface melt. Nature Communications, 10. View this article in WRRO
- Seasonal variations in iceberg freshwater flux in Sermilik Fjord, southeast Greenland from Sentinel‐2 imagery. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(15), 8903-8912. View this article in WRRO
- Distribution and dynamics of Greenland subglacial lakes. Nature Communications, 10. View this article in WRRO
- Supraglacial rivers on the northwest Greenland Ice Sheet, Devon Ice Cap, and Barnes Ice Cap mapped using Sentinel-2 imagery. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 78, 1-13. View this article in WRRO
- Spatio-temporal variations in seasonal ice tongue submarine melt rate at a tidewater glacier in southwest Greenland. Journal of Glaciology. View this article in WRRO
- An Automated Method for Mapping Geomorphological Expressions of Former Subglacial Meltwater Pathways (Hummock Corridors) From High Resolution Digital Elevation Data. Geomorphology. View this article in WRRO
- The influence of hydrology on the dynamics of land-terminating sectors of the Greenland ice sheet. Frontiers in Earth Science, 7. View this article in WRRO
- Response of surface topography to basal variability along glacial flowlines. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123(10), 2319-2340. View this article in WRRO
- Greenland Ice Sheet surface topography and drainage structure controlled by the transfer of basal variability. Frontiers in Earth Science Cryospheric sciences, 6. View this article in WRRO
- Linear response of east Greenland’s tidewater glaciers to ocean/atmosphere warming. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(31), 7907-7912. View this article in WRRO
- Near-margin ice thickness and subglacial water routing, Leverett Glacier, Greenland. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 50(1). View this article in WRRO
- Estimating Spring Terminus Submarine Melt Rates at a Greenlandic Tidewater Glacier Using Satellite Imagery. Frontiers in Earth Sience, 5. View this article in WRRO
- Recent Advances in Our Understanding of the Role of Meltwater in the Greenland Ice Sheet System. Current Climate Change Reports, 3(4), 330-344. View this article in WRRO
- Spatially distributed runoff at the grounding line of a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier inferred from plume modelling. Journal of Glaciology, 63(238), 309-323. View this article in WRRO
- A model for tidewater glacier undercutting by submarine melting. Geophysical Research Letters, 44(5), 2360-2368. View this article in WRRO
- Generating synthetic fjord bathymetry for coastal Greenland. The Cryosphere, 11(1), 363-380. View this article in WRRO
- Controls on the transport of oceanic heat to Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier, East Greenland. Journal of Glaciology, 62(236), 1167-1180. View this article in WRRO
- Northeast sector of the Greenland Ice Sheet to undergo the greatest inland expansion of supraglacial lakes during the 21st century. Geophysical Research Letters, 43(18), 9729-9738. View this article in WRRO
- Variability in ice motion at a land-terminating Greenlandic outlet glacier: the role of channelized and distributed drainage systems. Journal of Glaciology, 62(233), 451-466. View this article in WRRO
- Inferring the variation of climatic and glaciological contributions to West Greenland iceberg discharge in the twentieth century. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 121, 167-178. View this article in WRRO
- The effect of warming climate on nutrient and solute export from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Geochemical Perspectives Letters, 94-104.
- Changes in the firn structure of the western Greenland Ice Sheet caused by recent warming. The Cryosphere, 9(3), 1203-1211. View this article in WRRO
- Effect of near-terminus subglacial hydrology on tidewater glacier submarine melt rates. Geophysical Research Letters, 42(8), 2861-2868. View this article in WRRO
- Modeling the impact of glacial runoff on fjord circulation and submarine melt rate using a new subgrid-scale parameterization for glacial plumes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 120(2), 796-812. View this article in WRRO
- Modelling channelized surface drainage of supraglacial lakes. Journal of Glaciology, 61(225), 185-199. View this article in WRRO
- Greenland ice sheet annual motion insensitive to spatial variations in subglacial hydraulic structure. Geophysical Research Letters, 41(24), 8910-8917. View this article in WRRO
- Ice–ocean interaction and calving front morphology at two west Greenland tidewater outlet glaciers. The Cryosphere, 8(4), 1457-1468. View this article in WRRO
- Greenland ice sheet motion insensitive to exceptional meltwater forcing.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 110(49), 19719-19724. View this article in WRRO
- Enhanced basal lubrication and the contribution of the Greenland ice sheet to future sea-level rise.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 110(35), 14156-14161. View this article in WRRO
- Evolution of the subglacial drainage system beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet revealed by tracers. Nature Geoscience, 6(3), 195-198.
- Evolution of drainage system morphology at a land-terminating Greenlandic outlet glacier. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 118(1), 29-41.
- Winter motion mediates dynamic response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to warmer summers. Geophysical Research Letters, 40(15), 3940-3944. View this article in WRRO
- Short-term variability in Greenland Ice Sheet motion forced by time-varying meltwater drainage: Implications for the relationship between subglacial drainage system behavior and ice velocity. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE, 117.
- Rapid erosion beneath the Greenland ice sheet. GEOLOGY, 40(4), 343-346.
- Short-term variability in Greenland Ice Sheet motion forced by time-varying meltwater drainage: Implications for the relationship between subglacial drainage system behavior and ice velocity. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 117(3). View this article in WRRO
- Microbial nitrogen cycling on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Biogeosciences, 9(7), 2431-2442. View this article in WRRO
- Seasonal speedup of a Greenland marine-terminating outlet glacier forced by surface melt-induced changes in subglacial hydrology. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE, 116. View this article in WRRO
- Seasonal variations in Greenland Ice Sheet motion: Inland extent and behaviour at higher elevations. EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS, 307(3-4), 271-278.
- Supraglacial forcing of subglacial drainage in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet. Geophysical Research Letters, 38(8). View this article in WRRO
- Seasonal evolution of subglacial drainage and acceleration in a Greenland outlet glacier. NATURE GEOSCIENCE, 3(6), 408-411.
- Testing hypotheses of the cause of peripheral thinning of the Greenland Ice Sheet: is land-terminating ice thinning at anomalously high rates?. CRYOSPHERE, 2(2), 205-218. View this article in WRRO
- Seasonal evolution of supra-glacial lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet. EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS, 262(3-4), 484-492.
- Sub-regional variability in the influence of ice-contact lakes on Himalayan glaciers. Journal of Glaciology, 1-25.
- Seasonal evolution of the supraglacial drainage network at Humboldt Glacier, northern Greenland, between 2016 and 2020. The Cryosphere, 17(11), 4729-4750.
- Subglacial lake activity beneath the ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Cryosphere, 17(4), 1775-1786.
- Brief Communication: Outburst floods triggered by periodic drainage of subglacial lakes, Isunguata Sermia, West Greenland. View this article in WRRO
- Changes in the firn structure of the Greenland Ice Sheet caused by recent warming. The Cryosphere Discussions, 9(1), 541-565.
- Modelling the transfer of supraglacial meltwater to the bed of Leverett Glacier, Southwest Greenland. The Cryosphere, 9(1), 123-138.
- Modelling the transfer of supraglacial meltwater to the bed of Leverett Glacier, southwest Greenland. The Cryosphere Discussions, 8(4), 4243-4280.
- Ocean properties, ice–ocean interactions, and calving front morphology at two major west Greenland glaciers. The Cryosphere Discussions, 7(6), 5579-5611.
- Increased glacier runoff enhances the penetration of warm Atlantic water into a large Greenland fjord. The Cryosphere Discussions, 6(6), 4861-4896.
- Microbial nitrogen cycling on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Biogeosciences Discussions, 8(5), 10423-10457.
- Testing hypotheses of the cause of peripheral thinning of the Greenland Ice Sheet: is land-terminating ice thinning at anomalously high rates?. The Cryosphere Discussions, 2(4), 673-710.
- Reviewer comment.
- A model for interaction between conduits and surrounding hydraulically connected distributed drainage based on geomorphological evidence from Keewatin, Canada. The Cryosphere. View this article in WRRO
- Large-scale integrated subglacial drainage around the former Keewatin Ice Divide, Canada reveals interaction between distributed and channelised systems.
- Detecting active subglacial lakes beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet using ArcticDEM.
- Modelling the impact of iceberg melt on glacier-ocean interaction, east Greenland.
- Large-scale integrated subglacial drainage around the former Keewatin Ice Divide, Canada reveals interaction between distributed and channelised systems.
- Diverse supraglacial drainage patterns on the Devon Ice Cap, Canadian Arctic. Journal of Maps.
- Continent-wide bimonthly mapping of Antarctic surface meltwater using Google Earth Engine.
- Global synthesis of subglacial lakes and their changing role in a warming climate.
- Rivers on Ice: The Evolution of Supraglacial Channels on the Greenland Ice Sheet.
- Supplementary material to "Automated mapping of the seasonal evolution of surface meltwater and its links to climate on the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica".
- Surface outburst of a subglacial flood from the Greenland Ice Sheet.
- Subglacial lakes and their changing role in a warming climate. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
- Automated mapping of the seasonal evolution of surface meltwater and its links to climate on the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 15(12), 5785-5804.
Conference proceedings papers
- MELTWATER LANDFORM PERSPECTIVES ON SUBGLACIAL HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES: INSIGHTS FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION MAPPING IN NORTHERN CANADA. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs
Software / Code
Datasets
- Mapping of meltwater features and De Geer moraines in central Nunavut, Canada from the high-resolution (2 m) ArcticDEM.
- Antarctic Peninsula glacier front positions and ice-flow velocities.
Other
- Observing glacier bed topography: the H/V spectral method applied on a dense seismic array as a simple alternative to radar.
- The barystatic contribution to multi-decadal sea-level change in the 19th century..
- Distribution and morphology of moulins at Isunnguata Sermia, West Greenland .
- Geophysical investigation of active subglacial lake dynamics in West Greenland.
- Minimal Impact of Late-Season Melt Events on Greenland Ice Sheet Annual Motion.
- Supplementary material to "Seasonal evolution of the supraglacial drainage network at Humboldt Glacier, North Greenland, between 2016 and 2020 ".
- Monthly Antarctic-wide surface meltwater evolution between 2006 and 2021, and its links to climate.
- Spatial patterns in seasonal coupling between ice sheet hydrology and motion in west Greenland.
- The Seasonal Evolution of the Supraglacial Hydrologic Network at Humboldt Glacier, Northwest Greenland..
- The influence of ice-contact lakes and supraglacial debris on glacier change in High Mountain Asia .
- Supplementary material to "Subglacial lake activity beneath the ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet".
Preprints
- Seasonal evolution of the supraglacial drainage network at Humboldt Glacier, North Greenland, between 2016 and 2020 , Copernicus GmbH.
- Continent-scale mapping reveals a rise in East Antarctic surface meltwater, Research Square Platform LLC.
- Modelling the effect of submarine iceberg melting on glacier-adjacent water properties, Copernicus GmbH. View this article in WRRO
- TermPicks: A century of Greenland glacier terminus data for use in machine learning applications, Copernicus GmbH.
- Automated mapping of the seasonal evolution of surface meltwater and its links to climate on the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica.
- Subglacial lake activity beneath the ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet, Copernicus GmbH.
- Smartphone-based hyperspectral imaging for ice sheet and proglacial applications in South-West Greenland. Science of The Total Environment, 951, 175516-175516.