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charted soon after our arrival. The only unusual feature in eariy 

 April was the wavelike form to the northern edge of the Gulf Stream 

 southwest of the Tail, indicating a tendency of the warm current 

 to invade the zone of mixed water. This particular feature developed 

 during the latter part of the month, splitting the current, warm water 

 lying both inshore and offshore of cold. We first observed the latter 

 part of April that warm salty water was working inshore, up the sub- 

 marine valley which lies near the forty-fourth parallel, on the east 

 side of the Grand Bank. The outer current continued to encroach 

 in toward the continental edge throughout the next two months, 

 sometimes being pressed right up against the 100-fathom contour, 

 effectively blocking any opportunity for ice to drift past. The outer 

 current also swept northward along the eastern face of the Grand 

 Bank as far as latitude 45° 00' before it was completely deflected 

 offshore passing south of Flemish Cap. 



The Labrador current, on the other hand, during the last two 

 months of the ice season was confined to a narrow stream along the 

 east side of the Bank, which hugged the slope, was continually being 

 turned back by the outer current, and seldom reached farther south 

 than the Tail. The Labrador current tended to discharge at various 

 times throughout the season considerable masses of cold water 

 between the Grand Bank and Flemish Cap, and this fact is witnessed 

 in the receding form to the inner side of the Gulf Stream where it 

 passed this vent. 



The foregoing facts mark 1927 as the first ice season throughout 

 which the general behavior of the water masses at the junction of 

 the Labrador current and the Gulf Stream has been accurately fol- 

 lowed. 



The drift of the icebergs in 1927, as might naturally be expected 

 from the above, conformed to the developments in the circulation. 

 Only one berg during the season succeeded in drifting along the normal 

 path to the Tail, and that incident occurred before the middle of 

 April. The few bergs that later were transported as far south as the 

 forty-fourth parallel came under the influence of the onshore set, and 

 either were swept to the westward into shoal water or were wheeled 

 back to the northeast, along with much of the cold current. 



As a result of the foregoing it is plain to see that frequent surveys 

 of the currents around the Atlantic faces of the Grand Bank furnish 

 an intelligent insight regarding the probable drift of the ice, and when 

 carried out by the ice patrol such as in 1927, insures far greater safety 

 to the trans-Atlantic steamships. 

 72092—27 7 



