Icebergs are not a rare sight off the east coast of Canada. Indeed, there is an area stretching from the coast of Labrador to the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland that has been nicknamed the “Iceberg Alley” for the sheer number of icebergs that floats into the vicinity during spring and early summer. But even longtime residents did a double take when an astonishingly big one ran aground near the village of Ferryland, this week.
The big chunk of ice towers 150 feet. It’s the largest Iceberg Alley has ever seen.
Photo credit: Greg Lock/Reuters
Hundreds of chunks of ice break off from Baffin Island or Greenland and drift down this stretch of water every spring. This year, over 600 icebergs have already floated into the North Atlantic, compared to a total of 687 over the whole season last year. The year before, the Canadian Ice Service had counted 1,165.
Usually, one needs to take a boat ride or a paddle in a kayak along the coastline to watch them. But this particular chunk of ice floated too close to shore and got stuck, making Ferryland a popular tourist destination this weekend.
Experts say that the high number of icebergs this year is the result of increased global temperature as well as an unusually strong counter-clockwise winds that has drawn the icebergs south.
Photo credit: theicebergfestival.ca
Photo credit: theicebergfestival.ca
Photo credit: theicebergfestival.ca
Photo credit: theicebergfestival.ca
Photo credit: theicebergfestival.ca
Photo credit: theicebergfestival.ca
Sources: Wired / www.newfoundlandlabrador.com
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Iceberg Stranded in Canadian Town
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