The retreat of the glaciers is changing the map of Spitsbergen. A new island has emerged on the south-east coast of Nordaustlandet. A stretch of land previously connected to the ice has now been completely separated from the glacier by the retreat of the mighty Austfonna.
As the Norwegian Polar Institute announced on 4 September 2026, the island was discovered in satellite images taken this summer. It is situated in Harald V Land on the south-eastern side of the Austfonna, Svalbard’s largest ice cap.
Until recently, the rocky landmass was connected to the rest of the mainland by glacial ice. However, as early as late autumn 2025, a narrow waterway opened up. Since then, the ice front has retreated further, and there is now around 400 metres of water between the new island and the glacier.
A key factor is likely to be the warming sea east of Spitsbergen. Glaciologist Geir Moholdt from the Norwegian Polar Institute believes that warm seawater has contributed significantly to the rapid retreat of the glacier front. At the same time, warmer summers are taking their toll on the ice from above. In recent years, Spitsbergen’s glaciers have lost, on average, more than one metre of ice from their surface each year.
These changes are also becoming increasingly visible on maps. Glacier fronts are retreating, fjords are lengthening and land areas previously covered by ice are emerging. For this reason, Svalbard is regularly re-surveyed from the air and by satellite.
The newly discovered island is unlikely to be an isolated case. According to the Norwegian Polar Institute, there are already several other areas where new islands could emerge as a result of the ongoing glacial retreat.
The discovery thus illustrates particularly vividly how the warming of the Arctic is now altering not only the ice but also the map of Svalbard.
Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal