coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland by acting as a preservative in 

 maintaining a colder climate for bergs and reducing wave erosion. 



In order for a berg to travel from its origin in northwest Greenland 

 to the Grand Banks, it must first of all succeed in drifting into the 

 south-moving Baffin Land-Labrador Current system. Limited but 

 inconclusive evidence indicates that bergs travel northwest from the 

 glaciers along the west Greenland coast then west, passing south of 

 Smith Sound and eventually drifting south along Baffin Island in 

 the counterclockwise current system of Baffin Bay. There is no 

 doubt that some bergs drift west or southwest from the glaciers 

 directly across to western Baffin Bay either due to favorable easterly 

 winds or branch currents or both. The question is how many from 

 year to year. Secondly, the berg must be of sufficient size and must 

 time its arrival along the Baffin Island Coast so as to drift south along 

 the Labrador coast in the colder winter and early spring months. If 

 the timing is off and travel along the Labrador coast is performed in 

 late spring, summer, or early autumn, chances of survival to the 

 Grand Banks are only remotely possible. Smith attributed the 

 seasonal threat of icebergs on the Grand Banks to the seasonal 

 character of berg calving at the glaciers. However, it is believed 

 that the winter climatology of the Continental Shelf waters from 

 Davis Strait to the Grand Banks is the main cause of the seasonal 

 nature of the annual invasion of bergs. 



Since berg attrition is suspected to be heavy from eastern to western 

 Baffin Bay, and since many, if not most, arrivals into the south-moving 

 Baffin Land Current are poorly timed, a great majority of the 

 Baffin Bay bergs are ineffectives as future Grand Banks bergs. To 

 separate those most likely to succeed from the ineffectives is probably 

 going to the heart of the problem, but also overzealous. While it 

 it would be most difficult to accurately forecast the number of bergs 

 that will timely arrive at a favorable position for drift to the Grand 

 Banks, this number can be determined by aerial reconnaissance. It 

 is advocated therefore that the problem should be attacked by going 

 as far upstream as is necessary at the proper time to determine the 

 Grand Banks iceberg potential for the coming season and to accumu- 

 late data necessary for computing berg traveltimes, drift rates, 

 deterioration rates, mortality rates, and other berg characteristics. 



It is proposed that at least one berg census be taken each year in the 

 late autumn from Newfoundland along the Labrador coast, Hudson 

 Strait, and Frobisher Bay entrance, and the Baffin Island coast to at 

 least Cape Dyer. With tracks 20 miles apart, coverage will include 

 the Continental Shelf to 80 miles offshore and will account for most of 

 the next year's Grand Banks iceberg potential. An additional berg 

 census north to Hudson Strait about 1 March and just prior to the 

 commencement of the Ice Patrol is also highly desirable. The late 

 autumn census will determine the available potential and enable a 



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