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: they are gravel banks floating on an ice sheet.
The following table sets out the main contenders (or previous contenders) for this title.
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 activity 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 previously discovered islands and islets north of "Inuit Qeqertaat" (Kaffeklubben Island) at latitude 83ð39 054â³ N, 30ð37 045â³ 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.