15 new islands discovered in Russian Arctic due to global warming

Russian researchers have discovered more than 15 islands of various sizes in the Arctic region since 2015 due to global warming, Andrei Leonov told RIA Novosti.

“I cannot provide an exact figure, but more than 15 islands have been found in the Arctic since 2015. At the same time, researchers have been monitoring the emergence of these islands for years,” said the associate lecturer from the Department of Marine Hydrography at the Admiral Makarov Marine Academy, State University of Maritime and Inland Waters.

“Satellite imagery allows the process to be tracked, and sometimes it takes more than one year before researchers can confirm that a new landscape has emerged,” he added.

Discussing the cause of the emergence of these new islands, the hydrography expert cited climate change as the primary factor.

“Global warming causes the fronts of glaciers, known as outlet glaciers, to shrink,” the scientist explained.

According to him, advancements in remote sensing technology have enabled researchers to detect changes in the coastline. Previously, researchers had to visit the area and search for new landscapes to make discoveries, but they can now achieve this by utilising satellite imagery.