Graiul Banks. Ice was (h'ivcMi from its previously well formed pattern 

 within the Labrador Current and spread over the entire northern 

 portion of the Grand Banks and along the Newfoundland coast as far 

 south as Gape Race. 



The changes brought about by the two aforementioned conditions 

 can be seen by comparing figures 10 and 11. It was not, however, 

 until 7 May that the complete effect was apparent. An examination 

 of figure 15 shows that the exti'eme berg encroachment for the year 

 over tlie central part of the Banks occurred at this time. The period 

 1-7 May also inchuU'd the maximum luunl^er of berg arrivals south 

 of latitude 48° X. Fifty-four bergs crossed the 48th parallel during 

 that week and represented 20 percent of the year's total. 



Such an alteration in berg disti-ibution is not an exceptioiuil occur- 

 rence. A similar effect of greater magnitude and more abrupt was 

 experienced in May 1959. In l)oth instances the effect of the western 

 branch of the Labra(h)r ( 'urrent emerged dominant. Bergs now began 

 ai-riving at the Newfoundland coast south of latitu(h' 48° X., in 

 numl)ers which belied the sparsei' activity offshore. Throughout the 

 remaiiuh'r of May. l)ergs continued to arrive along the coast and 

 move into the area south of Gape Race and conditions in tiiese waters 

 may be considered above avei'age. The peak for tlie year occurred 

 during the last week in May when 110 bergs were sighted within 

 a 25-mile radius of Gape Boiuivista and many were reported in a 

 westward drift around Gap(> Race and as far as Placentia Bay. 



The bergs which were caiTJed onto the northern Graiul Banks early 

 in May remained grouiKk'd and achieved no further significant drifts. 

 By the eiul of tlie month, most of these had disintegrated and no new 

 arrivals were sighted or reported in this area. 



A group of bergs, estinuited at perhaps 15 to 20 of the season's 

 early arrivals, remained unaffected by the first week's redistribution 

 and contiiuied to drift down the eastern slope of the Banks and under 

 the influeiu-e of the Labrador ( 'urrent, were well-poised for a prolonged 

 drift southward. Such was not the case, however, as southwesterly 

 winds, l)y then prevailing over the Grand Banks, exerted suflicient 

 pressure to deviate the majority of these bergs eastward between 

 latitudes 46° N., and 44° X\, into the Atlantic Gurrent. Here the 

 warmer waters and northeastward drift soon ended any threat. The 

 most southerly drift for the month and for the year occurred 18-20 

 May when three survivors of this group reached the Tail of the Bank 

 and two penetrated just south of latitude 43° N., before melting. At 

 the month's end no bergs were known to exist over the eastern slope 

 of the Banks. 



Field ice reached its peak foi- the season during tfie first week in 

 May, but represented little advance over conditions which existed 

 during the middle of April. During this week, the coast north of 

 Baccalieu Island was blocked and tlie pack edge reached to within 5 



591759—61 2 9 



