The ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence generally were below 

 normal. However, the conditions in the northeast of the Gulf and 

 the area between Cape Breton and Sable Island were more severe than 

 average. A 50- to 80-mile-wide area of closely packed ice persisted 

 from Cape Breton to the south extending as far as 44° N. at the end 

 of the month with loosely scattered belts west to 63° W. The ice 

 made the east-west passage between Nova Scotia and Sable Island 

 difficult during the latter part of the month. The pack ice in the 

 northeast area of the Gulf was very heavy. There was also an un- 

 usual amount of bergs being reported in this area. A Coast Guard 

 aircraft which was diverted from aerial ice observation flight to par- 

 ticipate in a search and rescue mission in the vicinity of Riche Pt. on 

 the 19th of March counted 20 bergs between Riche Pt. and Ferole Pt. 

 Flowers Island consistently reported many bergs throughout the 

 month. It is believed that perhaps as many as 100 bergs have already 

 made this passage this year. Bergs have occasionally drifted into the 

 Gulf in the past but never in known memory in this amount for a 

 given year. Without a doubt, this heavy movement of pack ice and 

 bergs through Belle Isle Straits was due to the abnormal northeasterly 

 air flow during the month. Conditions in the central and northern 

 Gulf and the lower River of St. Lawrence gradually improved. On 

 28 March, Ice Central Halifax reported open water along the shipping 

 track through Cabot Strait and the Gulf into the River to Quebec 

 with some scattered belts of close pack ice northeast of Bird Rocks 

 and south of Anticosti Island. 



APRIL 



April was marked by a significant movement of bergs to the east 

 between 48° N. and 49° N. along the north slope of the Grand Banks. 

 There were no bergs east of 52° W. at the start of the month but by 

 the 27th of April there were about 110 bergs east of 52° W. between 

 47°20' N. and 49° N. The 200 or so bergs, which had been contained 

 with the pack ice close ashore from Cape Bonavista north to Cape 

 Freels and west past Fogo Island into the Notre Dame Bay area, 

 rapidly moved out and east with winds predominantly from the west 

 southwest. The anticipated movement of the majority of these bergs 

 to the south along the Avalon Peninsula and southwest onto the 

 Grand Banks did not materialize. Instead the movement to the east 

 continued throughout the month until by the end of April some bergs 

 had moved east along 49° N. to 48° W., then to the east southeast as 

 far as 44°30' W., a distance of about 360 miles in about 24 days, an 

 average movement rate of 15 miles per day. The surface air flow 

 although predominantly west southwest was only partly responsible 

 for this drift. The conclusion was that the east branch of the Labra- 

 dor Current was very vigorous with at least a three-fourths- knot 

 current, and that the west branch along Avalon Peninsula was prac- 



10 



