A landform that might be an island has been discovered by the collapse of ice shelves on the eastern coast of Antarctica. This is not the first island discovered off the coast. Over the past few years, the ice shelves along the coastline have crumbled.
The three Landsat images show the island. Even though the ice around it has melted and shifted, the landform remains the same. The scientists think that large ice chunks may have smashed into the island, but it retained its shape.
Scientists are unsure if there is any solid earth below the ice and snow.
In a post on NASA's Earth Observatory, a scientist with the Australian Antarctic Division said that it is similar to other ice islands. A large, heavy cap of ice sitting on an underwater peak is what is believed to be the feature.
The ice island is self-perpetuating, meaning that snow and ice accumulating on the island balances out the amount of melting that occurs underwater. The ice island could thin and float away if the balance is disrupted by a decrease in snowfall.
According to NASA, the data from the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) shows at least part of the island is up to 115 feet above the ground.
The Glenzer and Conger ice shelves collapsed earlier this year, according to NASA. With the warming ocean, more of these islands might be popping up.
The discovery of more of them is likely to continue in the years to come, according to Christopher Shuman, a University of Maryland, Baltimore County, glaciologist. Several examples don't make a trend, but they imply that other hidden features will be noticed in the future.
On NASA's Earth Observatory, you can read more about this landform.
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