Sannikov land (Sannikov land) is a "ghost island" in the Arctic Ocean, which some researchers allegedly saw in the 19th century (Yakov Sannikov) north of the New Siberian Islands. Since that time, there have been serious debates among scientists for many years regarding the reality of the island.
In this article, we will tell you about the history and mysteries of Sannikov Land.
Yakov Sannikov's hypothesis
The first reports about Sannikov Land as a separate piece of land appeared in 1810. Their author was the merchant and fox hunter Yakov Sannikov. It is worth noting that the man was an experienced polar explorer who had managed to discover Stolbovoy and Fadeisky Islands several years earlier.
Therefore, when Sannikov announced the existence of a "vast land", serious attention was paid to his words. The merchant claimed that he saw "stone mountains" above the sea surface.
In addition, there were other "facts" of the reality of the vast lands in the north. Scientists have begun observing migratory birds that fly north in the spring and return with their offspring in the fall. Since birds could not survive in cold conditions, theories appeared according to which Sannikov Land was fertile and had a warm climate.
At the same time, experts were perplexed by the question: "How can there be favorable conditions for life in such a cold region?" It is worth noting that the waters of these islands are ice-bound almost all year round.
Sannikov's land aroused great interest not only among researchers, but also among Emperor Alexander III, who promised to give the island to the one who would open it. Subsequently, many expeditions were organized, in which Sannikov himself took part, but no one was able to find the island.
Contemporary research
During the Soviet era, new attempts were made to discover Sannikov Land. For this, the government sent an icebreaker "Sadko" on an expedition. The vessel “searched” the entire water area where the legendary island was supposed to be, but found nothing.
After that, planes participated in the search, which also could not reach their goal. This led to the fact that Sannikov Land was officially declared non-existent.
According to many modern experts, the mythical island, like a number of other Arctic islands, was formed not from rocks, but from ice, on the surface of which a layer of soil was applied. After some time, the ice melted, and Sannikov Land disappeared like other local islands.
The mystery of migratory birds has also cleared up. Scientists have thoroughly investigated the migration routes of birds and came to the conclusion that although the overwhelming majority (90%) of white geese fly to warm regions by a "logical" route, the rest of them (10%) still carry out inexplicable flights, laying a route through Alaska and Canada. ...
