As polar ice melts as a result of global warming, scientists estimate that many new islands will be discovered that have previously been covered by glaciers. The most recent addition to these are five islands that were discovered in the Arctic Ocean by the Russian Navy. These new islands, part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, were confirmed by Russian expeditions in August and September by maritime researchers. They were first discovered by Marina Migunova, a Russian university student, in her 2016 dissertation.
Scientists agree that the islands are part of a trend related to global climate change. Because the Arctic Ocean is warming at a rate two times to global average, it is likely that more islands will be discovered in the near future. A previous Arctic discovery occurred in January when a Canadian islands was revealed that had been covered by glaciers for 40,000 years. Scientists estimate that if the current rate of Arctic glacial melt continues, up to a fifth of Earth’s population could be displaced by 2100. Greenlandish and Icelandish glaciers have been melting at alarming rates throughout this entire year.
