Scientists have discovered a tiny piece of land off the coast of Greenland that could be the world's northernmost island.

The researchers originally thought that they had landed on another island when they discovered this new landmass.

They intended to collect samples from Oodaaq, an island Northeast of Greenland that was first discovered in 1978. But it was only when they checked their exact location that they realize that they were on a previously undiscovered piece of land.

"Everybody was happy that we found what we thought was Oodaaq island," said Christiane Leister, a Swiss entrepreneur who financed the expedition through the Leister Foundation, which she created.

"It's a bit like explorers in the past, who thought they had landed in a certain place but actually found a totally different place."

To meet the requirement for an island, the landmass, which is only 30 meters across and three meters high, must stay above sea level during high tide.

But even if it meets this requirement, an advisor to the Danish government, Rene Forsberg, said that Greenland will probably not recognize this northernmost point, adding that "these small islands come and go."