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Each spring, ice blocks drift down from the arctic into an area known as "Iceberg Alley," off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.

One of the first massive icebergs of the season looks grounded in shallow water, just off the coast of Ferryland, Canada.

The first iceberg of the season passes the South Shore on April 16. Jody Martin / Reuters

Ferryland Mayor Adrian Kavanagh told the Canadian Press it could stick around for a while. "It's the biggest one I ever seen around here," Kavanaugh said. "It's in so close that people can get a good photograph of it."

A resident views the iceberg on April 16. Greg Locke / Reuters

So far this season, there's been an unusually high number of icebergs. The Canadian Press reports that 616 have already moved into the North Atlantic shipping lanes compared to 687 by the late-September season's end last year.

Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, said it is possible climate change is leading to more icebergs in the shipping lanes, but wind patterns are also important.