short-term forecasts of several parameters (includ- 

 ing thermohaline structure, wave conditions, and 

 sea ice conditions) in support of naval operations. 

 The Soviet Union supports a large and comprehen- 

 sive oceanographic forecasting effort oriented 

 toward military operations. 



The U.S.S.R. has a well-developed operational 

 sea ice prediction system for Russian Arctic and 

 sub-Arctic seas, probably the most advanced in the 

 world. Canada, through both the Ocean Services 

 for Defense and its Ice Forecasting Central, 

 produces operational long- and short-term sea ice 

 forecasts for Canadian Arctic seas (Beaufort Sea, 

 the waters of the Canadian Archipelago, Hudson 

 Bay, Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, and the Labrador 

 Sea) as well as for areas of the North Atlantic 

 Ocean. 



Other nations also produce small-scale, local sea 

 ice forecasts. Germany forecasts ice in the Baltic 

 Sea, Finland in the Gulf of Finland, and Great 



Britain in Icelandic waters (Davis Strait, Nor- 

 wegian Sea, and Greenland Sea) in support of 

 British fishing operations. 



Another major area of international ocean- 

 ographic forecasting is in the field of tide and tidal 

 current predictions. All major maritime nations 

 produce operational tide (and often tidal current) 

 predictions for their own use. Smaller nations 

 receive necessary tide and tidal current predictions 

 from the major maritime nations. 



The United States maintains a working Uaison 

 with nations active in oceanographic forecasting 

 and exchanges procedural information with them. 

 Excellent cooperation exists among British, 

 Canadian, and U.S. forecasting activities, as wit- 

 nessed by frequent conferences, symposia, and 

 joint forecasting activities. With minor exceptions, 

 the United States has operational oceanographic 

 forecasting programs comparable to, or more 

 advanced than, any now existing in other nations. 



n-28 



