Northernmost point of land
The northernmost point of land on Earth is a contentious issue due to variation of definition. How permanent some of the contenders are makes hard determination difficult, but sets an important threshold. Problematic issues include ice sheets, water movements and inundation, storm activity that may build, shift, or destroy banks of moraine material, and observational difficulties due to remoteness. However, a bathymetric survey in 2022 confirmed that certain previous contenders, such as 83-42, Qeqertaq Avannarleq, and ATOW1996 are not permanent islands/landmasses, as they are not connected to the seabed, and are only gravel banks floating on an ice sheet.
The following table sets out the main contenders (or previous contenders) for this title.
| Island name | Coordinates | Distance from the North Pole |
Discovered by | Discovery year | Permanent? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83-42 | 83°42′05.2″N, 30°38′49.4″W | 700.5 km | Dennis Schmitt | 2003 | No; not connected to seabed | 35 m by 15 m and 4 m high; deconfirmed by the 2022 survey as a true land |
| [no record, needs confirmation] | 83°41'N, 31°6'W | 702.4 km | 2008 Ultima Thule expedition | 2008 | Unknown | Needs verification |
| RTOW2001 | 83°41′06″N, 30°45′36″W | 702.5 km | RTOW expedition | 2001 | No; not connected to seabed | Deconfirmed by the 2022 bathymetric survey |
| ATOW1996 | 83°40′34.8″N, 30°38′38.6″W | 703.2 km | ATOW expedition | 1996 | No; not connected to seabed | 10 m long and 1 m high; deconfirmed by the 2022 survey as a true island |
| Stray Dog West | 83°40'37”N, 31°12'W | 703.3 km | Dennis Schmitt | 2007 | Yes; submerged during high tide | Considered as a land/ridge, but not an island |
| Qeqertaq Avannarleq | 83°40'17"N, 30°42'43"W | 703.4 km | Morten Rasch | 2021 | No; not connected to seabed | 30 m by 60 m and 3–4 m high; deconfirmed by the 2022 survey as a true land |
| Oodaaq | 83°40′N, 30°40′W | 704.2 km | Uffe Petersen | 1978 | No; is a gravel bank | 15 m by 8 m, appears to be submerged periodically |
| Kaffeklubben | 83°39′45″N, 29°50′W | 704.7 km | Robert Peary | 1900 | Yes | 700 m by 300 m by 30 m high; official, undisputed northernmost permanent land on Earth |
| Cape Morris Jesup | 83°37′39″N, 32°39′52″W | 708.6 km | Robert Peary | 1900 | Yes | Northernmost tip of Greenland |
Currently, Kaffeklubben Island is the northernmost, undisputed land that permanently remains above water. However, due to the ever-shrinking Arctic ice, there could be more discoveries in the near future.
In addition, the Gakkel Ridge has been showing some volcanic activities in recent decades, so a new landmass could form even further north from a future eruption.
In 2022, a Swiss-Danish expedition visited the area, to confirm the existence of all previously discovered islands and islets north of "Inuit Qeqertaat" (Kaffeklubben Island) at latitude 83°39 054″ N, 30°37 045″ W. Measurements by Martin Nissen from the Danish and Greenlandic national mapping agency and René Forsberg with DTU Space, Technical University of Denmark confirmed that all offshore islets north of Inuit Qeqertaat (Kaffeklubben Island) have been debris-covered icebergs.