Receding Russian glaciers expose five new Arctic islands

Receding glaciers surrounding Russia's mountainous Novaya Zemlya archipelago have exposed five fresh islands, but these rocky outcroppings, cold and beach-less, aren't ideal for holiday relaxation.

The islands were originally spotted using satellite images in 2016, but were only confirmed and mapped earlier this fall, according to the Russian military.

The expedition to identify the new Arctic islands was led by Aleksandr Moiseyev, a vice admiral in the Russian Navy.

"Basically, this [discovery] is associated with the melting of ice," Moiseyev told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday, according to state-run news agency TASS. "Previously these were glaciers, but the melting of ice led to the islands emerging."

Air and water temperature increases over the last decade have triggered the loss of ice throughout the Arctic, which studies suggest is experiencing climate change more dramatically than other parts of the globe.

Earlier this fall, the Arctic sea ice minimum approached, but didn't best, an all-time low.

But the poles aren't the only place where ice is melting. Studies suggest global warming is shrinking glaciers in the Rockies, the Alps and across the Tibetan Plateau.

"Mainly this is of course caused by changes to the ice situation," Moiseyev said, as reported by the Independent. "Before, these were glaciers. We thought they were [part of] the main glacier. Melting, collapse and temperature changes led to these islands being uncovered."

Arctic islands discovered by Russian expeditions in recent years have become bases for military operations and scientific research, as well as outposts for oil and gas prospecting.

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