19 



area. Had we had good visibility and been able to run close to the 

 shore between Ivigtiit and Cape Farewell, we would have seen 

 thousands of bergs instead of hundreds. Had we had good visibility 

 along the Labrador coast between Cape Harrison and Cape Harrigan 

 we might have seen hundreds of grounded bergs along the coast as 

 the Marion did in 1928. 



There is one fact that can not escape attention: In the summer the 

 bergs tend to hug the shores. They remain in the ice-cold water 

 discharging from the Arctic zones of field ice. The warm saline 

 water of the central part of the basin between Labrador and South 

 Greenland can be counted upon as being practically free from ice. 

 There are exceptions to all rules, however. The one berg sighted 

 more than 60 miles from the Greenland Coast, was located 120 miles 

 from that coast in 60° 48' north, and 53° 03' west. 



In conclusion it may be said that there was much more ice along 

 the South Greenland coast on August 1, 1931, than on September 1, 

 1928. Field ice was absent from the Labrador coast during the last 

 half of July, 1931, as it probably was during the period from July 20 

 to September 10, 1928. Bergs were apparently less numerous along 

 the Labrador coast during our cruise than during the cruise of the 

 Marion in 1928. Bergs were particularly scarce off Northern Lab- 

 rador and about Hudson Strait, around July 25, 1931. Berg condi- 

 tions were about the same around Belle Isle in July and August, 1931, 

 as in July and August, 1928. The location of all ice sighted by or 

 reported to the General Greene during the northern oceanographic 

 cruise is indicated on Figure 27. 



WEATHER 



The weather during the northern oceanographic cruise was on the 

 whole moderate and favorable. There was very much overcast 

 weather and considerable fog. The 679 hours of cruising north of 

 St. Johns, Newfoundland, can be divided into three nearly equal 

 parts: (a) 213 hours between St. John's and off Port Manvers, 

 Labrador. (6) 233 hours between off Port Manvers and Ivigtut, 

 Greenland, (c) 233 hours between Ivigtut and St. John's, New- 

 foundland. Some features of the weather experienced during the 

 above sections of the cruise are given below: 



(a) St. John's, Newfoundland to off Port Manvers, Labrador. 



