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Researchers Map Previously Uncharted Island in Northwestern Weddell Sea
A German research team identified and surveyed an island in the northwestern Weddell Sea that had been marked only as a navigation hazard on nautical charts. The discovery occurred during an expedition aboard the icebreaker Polarstern last month.
May 24, 2:22 PM·1m read1 source
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Researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute identified an island in the northwestern Weddell Sea that nautical charts had labeled only as an area of unexplored dangers to navigation. The team made the finding while studying sea-ice decline aboard the institute’s icebreaker Polarstern.
Harsh weather forced the vessel to shelter near Joinville Island, where bathymetry data engineer Simon Dreutter noticed an object that appeared to be a dirty iceberg.
Dreutter said closer inspection showed the feature was rock.
The ship changed course, and the team confirmed they had reached an island. Researchers then circumnavigated the island and collected seabed data with an echo sounder and drone imagery. The island measures roughly 426 feet long and 164 feet wide and rises about 52 feet above the water.
An institute representative told Fox News Digital that many nearshore areas remain mapped only at low resolution from satellite data, leaving gaps in nautical charts. The representative said abrupt depth changes over short distances are common in the region.
The island has not yet received an official name. A proposal will be submitted to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research for formal consideration. Less than one-quarter of the Weddell Sea has been fully charted, according to the institute.
