Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute’s Polarstern expedition have discovered a previously uncharted island in the Weddell Sea. The island, which is roughly the size of the White House, was initially identified as a “danger zone” on nautical charts. The discovery was made after geophysicist Simon Dreutter investigated the area using bathymetric data from his research role on AWI’�s polarstern icebreaker vessel. The newly discovered island has now been completely surveyed and will be added to international nautical chart and other critical datasets. The Polar Stern team had been exploring in the area since February 8, 2026, until a bout of deadly storms forced them to seek shelter behind Joinville Island.