coast and southwesterly winds off the coast of 

 Newfoundland accelerated sea ice pack retreat 

 and dispersed the icebergs eastward along "48°N. 

 Ice observation flights on 3, 5, 7 and 10 April 

 surveying the limits of known ice from 45°30'N, 

 to 49°N, (Figure 8), illustrate this phenomenon. 

 Only 3 of the 30 plus icebergs were south of 

 48°N. The southernmost iceberg of the season 

 was predicted to have reached 45°00'N, 48°40'W 

 on 9 April before melting. The easternmost ice- 

 berg of the season was predicted to have reached 

 47°00'N, 45°40'W on 17 April. As the pack ice 

 continued its retreat, only isolated patches of 

 brash ice remained south of 50°N (Figure 9). 

 The easternmost extent of sea ice observed during 

 the season reached 46°50'N, 46°30'W approxi- 

 mately 15 April. Ice observation surveys on 20, 

 21 and 22 April found the sea ice limit had re- 

 treated significantly with only 6 bergs south of 

 49°N (Figure 10). By the end of April the sea 

 ice retreated to a very open pack configuration 

 nearshore to 50°W along the Newfoundland and 

 Labrador coasts to Goose Bay. North of Goose 

 Bay 6 to 8 octas of first year light and medium 

 ranged to 120 miles offshore along the coast to 

 Cape Dyer. During the month of April, 12 ice- 

 bergs drifted south of 48 °N. 



May 



Southwesterly winds off the coast of Newfound- 

 land and predominant onshore winds along the 

 coast of Labrador prevented further ice forma- 

 tion and greatly retarded iceberg movement to 

 the south. Ice observation flights on 30 April, 

 1 and 2 May confirmed that there were no ice- 

 bergs south of 48°N and only three icebergs 

 south of 49°N, all grounded (Figure 11). By 

 mid-May the sea ice still extended south of the 

 Strait of Belle Isle primarily in the form of 

 isolated belts and strips. The iceberg distribution 

 continued to remain nearshore with concentra- 

 tions centered around 49°N, 52°W (Figure 12). 

 Wanning temperatures combined witli upstream 

 wind-driven currents resulted in a rapid retreat 

 of sea ice to the vicinity of the Strait of Belle 

 Isle by late May, some two to three weeks ahead 

 of normal. These general conditions persisted 

 well into June. Ice reconnaissance flights on 29 

 and 30 May showed the southernmost iceberg to 

 be at 48°45'N, 51°45'W (Figure 13). All ice- 

 bergs drifting south of 49°N melted prior to 

 crossing 48°N during May. 



June 



Early June surveys disclosed a fairly constant 

 number of icebergs located between 50°N and 

 52°N. As new bergs moved south, some bergs 

 drifted below 49°N and melted. Regular attri- 

 tion into the Strait of Belle Isle occurred. Sea 

 ice along the Labrador coast consisted of 6 to 8 

 octas of first year light and medium extending to 

 100 miles offshore with patches and strings up to 

 4 octas concentration along the perimeter. One 

 tongue of patches and strings extended out to 

 53°W along latitude 55°N. By 16 June, there 

 were predicted to be only two icebergs south of 

 49°N. Ice observation flights on 9 and 17 June 

 surveyed the southern ice limits and the ice con- 

 ditions near the Strait of Belle Isle (Figure 14). 

 Due to the unusually warm sea surface tempera- 

 tures during this period, the southern bergs were 

 predicted to melt within two days and those 

 north of 49°X were predicted to melt before 

 crossing 48°N. There had been no confirmed 

 reports of ice south of 48°N since 24 April or 

 south of 49°N since 1 June. Thus, there ap- 

 peared to be no further threat to the primary 

 shipping lanes for the remainder of the year. 

 The maritime community was notified accord- 

 ingly and Ice Patrol terminated its services for 

 the 1977 season on 17 June. No icebergs drifted 

 south of 48°N during the month. 



July-August 



Sea ice deterioration continued at a fairly 

 rapid rate. In mid- July, there was no ice south 

 of Goose Bay, Labrador, and by the end of the 

 month Hudson Strait and Frobisher Bay were 

 ice free. By the end of August, only the area 

 along Baffin Island from Cape Mercy to Lan- 

 caster Sound to about 60 miles offshore was not 

 ice free. Although the Ice Patrol services had 

 officially terminated, the Ice Season terminates 

 on 31 August for statistical purposes with the 

 new season beginning 1 September. During 

 July and August many iceberg reports were re- 

 ceived from ships on approach to, and traversing 

 the Strait of Belle Isle, the southernmost of 

 which reached 48°50'N, 50°00'W before melting. 

 In all, the 1977 season proved to be very light 

 with a statistical total of 22 icebergs drifting 

 south of 48°N. 



