Liputan6.com, Greenland – A group of scientists claim to have discovered what they believe is the world’s northernmost island, off the coast Greenland, territory Denmark around The Arctic or the North Pole.
It all started in July 2021, when scientists flew in to collect samples of what they thought was Oodaq Island, which has been known since 1978.
Initially, the island of Oodaq was believed to be the furthest north. But that assumption changed in the latest expedition of a group of scientists.
When the researchers checked their positions with the officials Denmark responsible for registering the islands Arctic, the scientists were 800m further north.
They are not in Oodaq, but are on another 60x30m island and are at the closest point to the Arctic mainland, they said.
“The island was discovered during a Danish-Swiss research expedition, which I coordinated,” lead scientist Morten Rasch of the Arctic Station in Greenland, University of Copenhagen, told BBC, quoted on Sunday (29/8/2021).
“We (originally) wanted to visit Oodaq Island which was previously known as the northernmost island … in search of new species that could adapt to life in this extremely extreme environment.”
“However, when we reached the position of Oodaq Island — by helicopter — we couldn’t find it,” adding that maps of that part of the world are notoriously inaccurate.
“We were just about to start looking for the island. After a few minutes, we landed in a strange bunch of mud, silt and gravel and was surrounded by sea ice on all sides — not a very welcoming place.”
“After the expedition, and after many discussions with specialists on this topic, we now realize that we have accidentally discovered the northernmost island in the world.”
Discovering the Northernmost Island
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Rasch told the BBC that from a scientific perspective it was “no big deal”.
“But, from a personal perspective, of course, it’s somehow funny to be among the six people on Earth who once owned muddy boots at the northernmost point of the world.”
Scientists now want the island to be named Qeqertaq Avannarleq, which means “northernmost island” in Greenland.
Greenland has made headlines several times in recent years, with US President Donald Trump in 2019 saying the US could buy the territory.
Denmark was quick to dismiss the idea as “absurd”, but international interest in Greenland’s future continues.
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