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Andrew Shepherd

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Andrew Shepherd

Professor

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4914-1299

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

Remote Sensing of the Cryosphere

  • 4905
    Citations

Personal profile

Biography

I am Head of the School of Geography and Natural Sciences at Northumbria University, Director of the NERC Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, Principal Scientific Advisor to the European Space Agency's CryoSat satellite mission, co-leader of the ESA-NASA Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise, and a contributing author to IPCC assessment reports.

I use satellites to study Earth's climate, and my main contributions to science have involved developing remote observations of the cryosphere - especially using radar altimetry. I have led field campaigns in Europe, Africa, the Arctic, and in Antarctica to calibrate and validate satellite sensors.

I studied in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester, and I have held academic posts at University College London, and the Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, and Leeds.

Research interests

My research focusses on measuring changes of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, on understanding their interaction with the global climate system, and on establishing their contribution to global sea level rise. I also have a keen interest in the calibration and validation of satellite systems, and in the development of novel satellite sensors to tackle problems in geophysical research. To do this, I work closely with technical experts in space agencies and in the space industrial sector, with scientific collaborators in glaciology, meteorology, oceanography, and ice sheet modelling, and with government agencies.

Further Information

My work is often reported in the media, and you can see me in a range of TV programmes including:

Prizes and Awards

I have been awarded the following prizes:

  • 2008: Philip Leverhulme Prize
  • 2014: Royal Society Woldfson Research Merit Award
  • 2021: International Glaciology Society Richardson Medal (share of)

Education/Academic qualification

Physics, PhD

1 Jan 1998 → 31 Dec 2099

Award Date: 1 Jan 1998

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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  • A Regional Intercomparison of Ice Sheet Mass Balance Estimates of the Northwest Greenland Ice Sheet

    Otosaka, I. N., Shepherd, A., Groh, A., Döhne, T., Fettweis, X. & Noël, B., 1 Oct 2026, In: Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface. 131, 10, 16 p., e2025JF008605.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

    Open Access
    File
    48 Downloads (Pure)

  • Lead and Floe Detection From CryoSat-2 Radar and ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry

    Tilling, R., Egido, A., Harbeck, J., Kurtz, N., Petty, A., Ridout, A., Shepherd, A., Wimert, J. & Yi, D., 1 Feb 2026, In: Earth and Space Science. 13, 2, 15 p., e2025EA004399.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

    Open Access
    File
    1 Citation (Scopus)
    1 Downloads (Pure)

  • Mass balance of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets from the 1970s to 2023

    Otosaka, I., Shepherd, A., Amory, C., Horwath, M., Ivins, E., King, M. D., Nowicki, S. M. J., Payne, A. J., Rignot, E., Sandberg Sørensen, L., Schlegel, N.-J., Simon, K. M., Smith, B. E., Sutterley, T. C., van den Broeke, M. R., Velicogna, I., A, G., Agosta, C., Ditmar, P. & Döhne, T. & 38 others, Engdahl, M. E., Fettweis, X., Forsberg, R., Gardner, A. S., Gilbert, L., Goelzer, H., Gourmelen, N., Groh, A., Hansen, N., Harig, C., Helm, V., Khan, S., Kittel, C., Langen, P. L., Larsen, M., Loomis, B., McMillan, M., Medley, B., Melini, D., Mottram, R., Muir, A. S., Nilsson, J., Noël, B., Pattle, M. E., Aparici, M. R. I., Sasgen, I., Save, H. V., Scheuchl, B., Schrama, E. J. O., Schröder, L., Seo, K. W., Simonsen, S. B., Slater, T., Spada, G., Vishwakarma, B. D., Wever, N., Wiese, D. & Wouters, B., 16 Sept 2026, In: Scientific data. 13, 1, 14 p., 1301.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

    Open Access
    File
    58 Downloads (Pure)

  • Toward an Improved Understanding of the Antarctic Coastal Zone and Its Contribution to Future Global Sea Level

    Matsuoka, K., Moholdt, G., Arthur, J. F., Bodart, J. A., Cui, X., Ferraccioli, F., Forsberg, R., Goel, V., Jordan, T. A., McCormack, F. S., Mottram, R., Pritchard, H. D., Shackleton, C., Tinto, K. J., Boberg, F., Cavitte, M. G. P., Drews, R., Dutrieux, P., Ebbing, J. & Eisen, O. & 60 others, Eisermann, H., Gardner, A. S., Greene, C. A., Holschuh, N., Jamieson, S. S. R., Kim, B. H., Krauzig, N., Kulessa, B., Leuschen, C., Li, J., Li, L., Liebsch, J., MacGregor, J. A., MacKie, E., Mahagaonkar, A., Maton, J., Morlighem, M., Navarro, F., Neff, P. D., Otosaka, I. N., Pattyn, F., Ruppel, A., Sanderson, R. J., Seroussi, H., Shepherd, A., Siegfried, M. R., Slater, T., Stroeven, A. P., Studinger, M., Teisberg, T., Venturelli, R. A., Winberry, J. P., Zhao, C., An, L., Bamber, J. L., Bell, R. E., Bingham, R. G., Brehmer-Moltmann, J., Eagles, G., Greenbaum, J., Gronset, J., Lee, W. S., Le Meur, E., Jong, L. M., Lindbäck, K., Lidström, S., Lösing, M., Minowa, M., Pandey, M., Ray, Y., Scheinert, M., Schroeder, D. M., Seehaus, T., Shahateet, K., Steinhage, D., Tang, X., Taylor, D., Verboncoeur, H., Yang, J. & Young, D. A., Sept 2026, In: Reviews of Geophysics. 64, 3, 128 p., e2022RG000803.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

    Open Access
    File
    2 Citations (Scopus)
    12 Downloads (Pure)

  • BIOPOLE - Biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning in changing polar systems and their global impacts

    Tarling, G., Abrahamsen, E., Aksenov, Y., Anderson, M., Arrowsmith, C., Baker, C., Barry, C., Belcher, A., Benavides, M., Bischof, M., Boland, E., Bowes, M., Brearley, J., Brown, P., Burson, A., Buzzard, S., Callaghan, N., Coët, A., Cook, K. & Coombs, S. & 56 others, Evans, C., Fielding, S., Ford, E., Fournier, I., Freer, J., Garcia-Martin, E., Ghosh, V., Giering, S., Grant, A., Griffiths, H., Hamilton, R., Hendry, K., Hill, S., Hubot, N., Hunter, A., Johnston, N., Katavouta, A., Kitson, E., Leng, M., Lewis, I., Linse, K., Lofts, S., Manno, C., Martin, A., Marzocchi, A., Mawji, E., Mayor, D., McKenzie, R., Meijers, A., Meredith, M., Munday, D., Pereira, M., O'Brien, A., Olszewska, J., Painter, S., Palmiéri, J., Patel, S., Pickard, A., Richt, J., Rynders, S., Sanders, R., Saunders, R., Shepherd, A., Slater, T., Spears, B., Stowasser, G., Swiggs, A., Taylor, L., ten Hoopen, P., Thorpe, S., Timms-Wilson, T., van Soest, M., Venables, H., Wright, Z., Yool, A. & Young, E., 3 Sept 2025, In: Research Ideas and Outcomes. 11, 20 p., e163757.

    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

    Open Access
    File
    11 Downloads (Pure)
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