as far north as 58° N. to obtain information which would help to 

 explain the lack of ice in the Grand Banks area. Between Cape 

 Freels and latitude 58° N., 205 bergs were sighted, all of which were 

 within 50 miles of the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts. The 

 number and location of these bergs indicated that the season was 

 very light and that few if any of these bergs could be expected to 

 drift south of 48° N. during the remainder of the season. The first 

 report of any ship navigating the Strait of Belle Isle was that of the 

 U. S. Naval Transport Peeonic^ which reported the strait full of drift 

 ice on 20 June. 



A picture of some of the changes undei'gone by west ice may be had 

 by comparing the reports of USCGC Evergreen on 17 July with the 

 reports from the ship and planes used for the ice census during 

 August. On 17 July the USCGC Evergreen scouted the eastern 

 limits of west ice which were from 66°48' N., 58°44' W., to 66°5r N., 

 58°00' W., to 68°03' N., 56°26' W., and from 68°56' N., 60°06' W., 

 to 70°06' N., 58°36' W. One month later the vessel and planes as- 

 signed to carry out the ice census reported the boundaries of west ice 

 to be within an area enclosed by a line through the following points : 

 68°00' N., 64°35' W., to 67°55' N., 60°00' W., to 68°50' N., 58°35' W., 

 to G9°40' N., 61°00' W., to 70°40' N., 59°05' W., to 7l°43' N., 61°38' W., 

 to 72°25' N., 62°00' W., to 72°00' N., 64°48' W., to 68°00' N., 

 64°35' W. 



Comparisons of the limits of west ice for the months of July and 

 August can only be made with the southeastern limits because the 

 USCGC Evergreen was unable to circumnavigate the west ice. How- 

 ever, it was noted that the southeastern limits of the west ice main- 

 tained ai^proximately the same shape in August as in July. In August 

 these limits had receded about 50 miles to the northwestward. The 

 limits of the west ice in July approximated the average limits of 

 the west ice as depicted in the Ice Atlas. In August there was a 

 decided difference. Sea ice, which is normally concentrated in the 

 western part of Baffin Bay in August, was observed to be more 

 towards the south and center of Baffin Bay. This left the northern 

 half of Baffin Bay free of sea ice. Most of this ice was not the heavy 

 ice which is normal for Baffin Bay. The only close pack observed 

 was that encountered by the USCGC Wlnnehago on 10 August at 

 70°28' K, 59°44' W., and 7l°43' N., 61°38' W., and on 14 August at 

 72°28' N., 63°02' W. 



The total number of bergs counted in Baffin Bay during this ice 

 census was 40,232. Of this number 33,962 were counted in an area 

 extending from the middle of Baffin Bay to the west coast of Green- 

 land, including the fjords and indentations of the coast. The rest 

 of the bergs w^ere scattered in decreasing numbers from the northern 

 part of Baffin Bay south along the western side to Cape Dyer, with a 



12 



