Researchers from Wegener Institute discover unknown island in Antarctica
An international expedition team aboard the German research icebreaker Polarstern has discovered an island in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, TASS reports referring to the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).
A 93-strong international expedition team has been exploring the northwestern Weddell Sea in the Antarctic on board the Alfred Wegener Institute’s icebreaker Polarstern since February 8, 2026, according to the report. "When the research work had to be interrupted due to rough weather conditions in order to seek shelter in the lee of Joinville Island, the scientists and ship’s crew were surprised by the sudden appearance of an island that had previously only been marked as a danger zone on the available nautical charts," the report said.
"Looking out of the window, we saw an ‘iceberg’ that looked kind of dirty. On closer inspection, we realized that it was probably a rock. We then changed course and headed in that direction and it became increasingly clear that we had an island in front of us!" expedition participant Simon Dreutter was quoted as saying.
The island is about 130 meters long, 50 meters wide, and protrudes about 16 meters out of the water, according to the report.
As stated perviously, researchers find ice accumulating at Moon's poles for at least 1.5 bln years.
