Russian Scientists Find New Island In Caspian Sea But Couldn't Land On It, Here's Why

Russian scientists discovered a new island in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, which was confirmed during a research expedition, the PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (IO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The scientists have yet to finalise a name for the island.

The island, located southwest of Maly Zhemchuzhny, appeared because of a fall in the water level of the sea due to climate change. The report mentioned that the area of this island might increase significantly with a continuous decrease in the level of the Caspian Sea. The Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences said that the island might become a valuable nesting site for rare bird species and a rookery for Caspian seals.

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"During a complex expedition of the IO RAS, the Caspian branch of the IO RAS and the Astrakhan State Nature Reserve to the Northern Caspian, scientists managed to confirm the existence of a new island 30 km southwest of Maly Zhemchuzhny Island," the report said.

"Initially, the drying of the bank was noticed in space images by employees of the Caspian branch of the IO RAS in November 2024, but the question of the island's existence remained controversial until recently," it added.

"The discovered island was formed as a result of a drop in the level of the Caspian Sea and the emergence of the Srednyaya Zhemchuzhnaya Bank to the surface," the report further said.

Why couldn't the scientists land on the island?

The report revealed that the scientists approached the northern part of the island, but couldn't land on the shore as it was not possible due to the shallow waters surrounding it. The weather conditions were also poor. However, the island is visible in the pictures from the quadcopter. In the near future.

"Currently, during the period of maximum Volga flow at the peak of the flood, the island is a land slightly elevated above the surface of the sea. It is obvious that during the low-water period, when the water level is minimal, the island's elevation above the water's edge will be more significant. At the time of the survey, the island's surface was a damp flat plain complicated by ridges of sand waves," the institute said.