OCEANOGRAPHY 



During the ice patrol season of 1928 no detailed large area current 

 maps were made by the hydrodynamic method as the threatening ice 

 situation prohibited intensive oceanographic work. The United 

 States-Europe C tracks were adhered to by shipping until April 14, 

 when they had either been crossed or were immediately menaced 

 by no less than 28 bergs. 



The patrol recommended the shifting of the tracks to more southerly 

 ones many days before the desirable action was taken. No reason is 

 known why the C tracks were adhered to so much longer than usual 

 in 1928, unless it was that the trans-Atlantic track conference again 

 expected a fairly safe northerly distribution of ice such as was experi- 

 enced in 1927. When the B tracks were finally used they were 

 adhered to longer than absolutely necessary. Looking back at the 

 actual manner in which ice was distributed month by month it can 

 now be seen that had the tracks been shifted south to B one month 

 earlier than was done and shifted back to C two months earlier than 

 was done, 1928 would have seen one month's less use of the longer 

 tracks and at the same time have had a safer distribution of sum 

 total ocean crossings than was actually the case. 



After the B tracks went into effect the patrol was but little freer 

 to take stations than before. The drifts of several bergs actually 

 on or across the B tracks had to be followed. The rest of the time 

 had to be devoted to searching for new bergs coming down to and 

 threatening the B tracks from the little crossed fog areas immediately 

 to the north. The oceanographic stations, being secondary in import- 

 ance to the actual ice scouting, had to be taken about when and 

 where possible. 



The positions of the 95 stations taken during 1928 are shown in 

 Figure 13. The station distribution woiild have been differently 

 arranged if the patrol vessels had been less under the necessity of 

 scouting and trailing bergs as above noted, and many more stations 

 would have been taken also, approaching the ideal of a close checker- 

 board arrangement of observations, repeated every two weeks over 

 the areas to be investigated. 



The scientific observer and his oceanographic assistant were dif- 

 ferent persons than those who took and worked out the stations dur- 

 ing pre\dous seasons. The new men gained considerable experience 

 during the course of the spring. 



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