64 



An illustration of the practical value of the oceanographic work 

 was furnished during April, when stations occupied off the SW. 

 slope of the Grand Banks disclosed the presence of polar water over 

 a relatively large area in that vicinity, which it is believed was the 

 major extension of the Labrador Current reaching out northwestward 

 from the Tail of the Bank. This led to the assumption that icebergs 

 arriving at th(^ Tail of the Bank would tend to drift to the northwest- 

 ward parallel to the SW. slope of the Grand Bank, and subsequent 

 developjnents seemed to indicate the correctness of this assumption. 

 The characteristic drift of bergs since the middle of April has been 

 around the Tail and up onto the SW. slope of the Grand Bank. 

 It has long been the hope of the patrol to forecast advance informa- 

 tion regarding the movements of ice. 



Surface temperature conditions in the vicinity of the Grand Banks 

 have been carefully watched and recorded, as shown on the surface 

 tempe^rature charts. These are based upon the thousands of reports 

 received from passing steamships and upon hourly records kept on 

 board the patrol vessel. Detailed wind and fog information was 

 also collected, from which wiml diagrams and fog scales will be pre- 

 pared. 



* Ice and obstructions reported, season of 1923. 



