SCIENTIFIC RESULTS 129 



There is little published on the effect of wind and current in con- 

 trolling the drift of icebergs. Johnston (1915, p. -10) is of the opinion 

 that the winds exert a very pronounced effect on the movement of 

 bergs. Quinan (1915, p. 37) points out that although the wind has 

 some effect the ocean current is the controlling factor. Kriimmel 

 (1911, p. 434) calls attention to the deep draft of icebergs, about 

 5 to 1, and concludes therefore that the wind has little effect and the 

 deep-ocean currents are dominant. Drvgalski (1895. p. 286) states 

 that the fohn (east) winds drive the pack ice out of the west Green- 

 land fjords in the spring and (p. 502) this frees the icebergs which 

 have been blockaded throughout the winter. He does not mention, 

 however, any tendency of the east winds to carry the bergs out into 

 Davis Strait. Kane (1854, p. 104) speaking of the heset ship Resolute 

 says, " their drift followed some system of advance entirely inde- 

 pendent of the wind." 



Mecking (1906, pp. 12-18) discusses the relative importance of 

 currents and winds to drift the ice out of Baffin Bay. He quotes 

 from the accounts of several observers on this subject, viz, Nansen, 

 Greely, Blake. Drygalski, Nares, Kane, and Weyprecht. Most of the 

 observations, however, regarding the efficiency of the winds as a dy- 

 namic agency refer to the drift of pack ice or to icebergs that are 

 entangled in the pack. Few if any of the observations cited by Meck- 

 ing refer to icebergs outside of coastal zones and consequentl}^ such 

 bergs have not the freedom of movement as those floating in deep 

 water. Mecking concludes that in regions where slope currents 

 prevail the current is dominant, while in regions of weak currents the 

 winds materially effect the drift of the bergs. He emphasizes this 

 point on page 67 of Mecking (1906), by stating that the offshore 

 Avinds along the glaciers in west Greenland during summer are the 

 index of the number of icebergs drifting past Newfoundland the 

 following spring. 



The intfefnational ice patrol has made many observations on the 

 relative effect of wind and current to govern the drift of icebergs. 

 In 1922 we followed a number of bergs that drifted in the area south 

 of the Grand Bank during a period of about two months. May 2 to 

 July 13, with interesting results. The tracks of the different bergs 

 entering this region all conform in general characteristics, as can 

 be seen by examining the published charts (Smith, 1923, Charts 2 

 and 4), despite the fact that the winds varied much, both in direc- 

 tion and in force. In May the winds prevailed from the west and 

 northwest, force 4, and during the latter half of the month were 

 equally divided between the southeast and southwest quadrants, 

 force 2.5. The first two weeks in July the wind changed to south- 

 west with a mean force of 4. A striking example of this inde- 

 pendence of berg drift and of wind direction was observed Mav 2 

 to 13, 1922, when bergs *' D " and '• E " (Smith, 1923, Chart F) drifted 

 westward a distance of 90 miles at the rate of 9.5 miles per 

 day in the face of a head wind blowing at times with a force 6. 

 The fact that during this entire period of varying winds, the suc- 

 cessive bergs exhibited a similar direction of drift is strong evidence 

 against any appreciable effect of winds on icebergs. The general 

 adherence of the ice to the stream lines of the gradient currents as 

 shown by comparing the charts of berg drifts with the hydrographic 



