В архипелаге Шпицберген из-за таяния ледника появился новый остров площадью 0,45 кв. км

Necva Tastan Sevinc 04 September 2026•Update: 04 September 2026 A new island has emerged in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago after the Austfonna glacier retreated, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported Friday. The island, covering roughly 0.45 square kilometers (0.17 square miles), was first identified in satellite images taken this summer, according to Geir Moholdt, a glaciologist at the Norwegian Polar Institute. Radar images indicate that the landmass became separated from the glacier in late autumn last year. It now lies about 400 meters (1,312 feet) from the glacier front. Austfonna, Norway’s largest glacier, has been melting at a record rate. Its glacier front stretches for more than 180 kilometers (112 miles), making it the longest in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the institute. “In recent years, glaciers in Svalbard have lost more than one meter of ice on the surface on average per year,” Moholdt said, adding that the rate was far higher than previously observed. He said Svalbard’s glaciers are retreating further onto land, causing fjords to lengthen while the ice becomes thinner because of warmer summers and extensive melting. The rapidly changing terrain also makes updated maps increasingly important for researchers, local authorities, police, aircraft operators, and people traveling outdoors, said Anne Urset, a geodesist at the institute. Moholdt warned that other landmasses could emerge as warming and glacial retreat continue. “There are several candidates for new islands that could emerge with rapid warming and melting,” he said, adding that some glaciers could eventually disappear entirely.