An international scientific expedition of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research has accidentally discovered a new, previously unknown island in Antarctica. A section of rocky land exposed due to melting ice has been mapped in detail by the crew of the Polarstern icebreaker and will soon replenish all marine navigation reference books. The discovery was made in the harsh icy waters of the northwestern Weddell Sea.
A new island in Antarctica. Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Simon Dreutter
A scientific group of 93 people was engaged in a routine study of global ocean currents and the retreat of sea ice. When, due to a sharp deterioration in weather conditions, the ship’s captain was forced to seek shelter near the island of Joinville, radars and the crew visually recorded an object that appeared on old maps only as a hypothetical danger zone.
Initially, the mysterious object was mistaken for an ordinary dirty iceberg, but it turned out to be a massive monolithic rock. The icebreaker cautiously approached the land at a distance of 150 m, continuously scanning the depth with onboard multipath echo sounders. To accurately measure the coastline and take aerial photographs, drones were lifted into the air, which made it possible to create an accurate 3D model of its terrain.
Instrumental measurements have shown that the newly discovered island has very noticeable dimensions. Its length is about 130 m, width is 50 m, and the solid rock itself rises 16 m above the raging waves. Up to this point, the object remained completely unnoticed on satellite images, as its thick ice shell visually merged with thousands of icebergs drifting around.
Scientists note with concern that the emergence of new land areas in this region is a direct consequence of irreversible global warming. Previously stable Antarctic ice began to catastrophically retreat starting in 2017 under the constant influence of warming surface waters. The upper layers are now melting heavily in summer, forming giant lenses of fresh meltwater that are changing the entire local ecosystem.
In the near future, scientists will initiate an official international procedure for naming the island. After all the formalities are settled, the exact coordinates of the rock will be immediately added to global bathymetric databases and navigation maps. Such unaccounted-for rocky outcrops pose a deadly threat to passing ships.
By Nikita Shevtsev
