Russia discovers five new Arctic islands after glacial melt
- 5 years ago
MOSCOW — The Russian navy has found five new islands in the remote Arctic.
Russia's defense ministry has confirmed the discovery of five new islands in the Arctic, which were revealed by accelerated glacial melting in the far north.
According to the BBC, the islands were hidden under the Nansen glacier on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, and ranged in size from 900 to 54,500 square meters.
The initial discovery of the islands has been credited to Marina Migunova, who found them in 2016 while completing her final coursework as a student at the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy.
The Guardian reports that an Arctic expedition in August and September charted the islands.
The Defense Ministry also confirmed the existence of an island previously mapped as a peninsula of Hall Island and part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago.
The Guardian reports that in recent years, Russia has had increased commercial and military interests in the Arctic, as retreating ice caused by rising temperatures has opened up shipping routes and previously inaccessible mineral resources.
The islands have yet to be named, but Vice Admiral Alexander Moiseyev says they are "upcoming."
Russia's defense ministry has confirmed the discovery of five new islands in the Arctic, which were revealed by accelerated glacial melting in the far north.
According to the BBC, the islands were hidden under the Nansen glacier on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, and ranged in size from 900 to 54,500 square meters.
The initial discovery of the islands has been credited to Marina Migunova, who found them in 2016 while completing her final coursework as a student at the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy.
The Guardian reports that an Arctic expedition in August and September charted the islands.
The Defense Ministry also confirmed the existence of an island previously mapped as a peninsula of Hall Island and part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago.
The Guardian reports that in recent years, Russia has had increased commercial and military interests in the Arctic, as retreating ice caused by rising temperatures has opened up shipping routes and previously inaccessible mineral resources.
The islands have yet to be named, but Vice Admiral Alexander Moiseyev says they are "upcoming."