Researchers discover Antarctic island usually hidden by ice

University of Otago biological oceanographer Associate Prof Linn Hoffmann (left) prepares drill holes in the ice to collect water samples from the Weddell Sea. PHOTOS: M WIETZ/CHRISTIAN HAAS When Associate Prof Linn Hoffmann boarded a research vessel to study marine phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean, the last thing she expected was to be part of the discovery of a new island off the coast of Antarctica.