A team of scientists exploring the Weddell Sea in Antarctica has made an unexpected discovery: a previously unknown island, initially mistaken for a stranded iceberg.
The team of 93 researchers, aboard the Alfred Wegener Institute's icebreaker Polarstern, was forced to change course due to difficult weather conditions and took refuge near Joinville Island. It was there that they noticed a dark brown land mass that did not match the surrounding glaciers.
“Along the way, the nautical charts showed an area of unidentified navigational hazards, but it was not clear what it was or where this information came from,” explained underwater cartography specialist Simon Dreutter. “When we went out on deck we saw an iceberg that looked dirty. But as we got closer, we realized it was a rock. Then we changed course and it became clear that there was an island ahead.”
The ship approached to within about 150 meters of the land formation, while a drone was used for aerial observation. Measurements showed that the island is about 130 meters long, 50 meters wide, and rises about 16 meters above sea level—roughly the length of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Scientists still don't know why the area was marked as a "danger zone" on nautical charts, while in other data it didn't appear as a coastline. According to them, in satellite images the island was almost indistinguishable from the surrounding icebergs due to the ice cover.
Before it can be included on official maps, the island needs to be given a name. The team has yet to make a decision, and humorous suggestions have already been circulating on social media—from “Eisberg,” to “Lummerland” (from a children’s book), to “Bird Rendezvous Island.”
The news comes shortly after the emergence of another new island near Venice, called Bacan, which once formed only in the summer but has now become permanent thanks to flood barriers. Today it is covered in vegetation and has become a small ecosystem, although some experts warn that these changes could be a worrying sign for the delicate balance of the Venice lagoon. /GazetaExpress/
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