Canso-George Bay route. This route had opened on 24 April in 

 1943. By the end of April the gulf was practically clear except 

 for the northeastern portion in the approaches to the Strait of 

 Belle Isle. 



The opening- of the gulf along the track from Cape Ray to the 

 mouth of the St. Lawrence River with the ice subsequently receding 

 both to the north and south of that route appears to be a normal 

 occurrence. The behavior of the ice in the year 1943 in which 

 the gulf cleared more or less uniformly from southwest to north- 

 east appears anomalous, and is attributed to the abnormally fre- 

 quent and strong southwesterly winds occurring during the winter 

 and early spring of that year. 



Ice continued to push out through the Gut of Canso and Cabot 

 Strait during most of the month. The southeastern tip of the main 

 pack reached a position of 44°25' N., 56°50' W., on the 12th. This 

 was the maximum extent reported during April and exceeded that 

 of March although in general the southern and eastern limits were 

 about the same for the 2 months. On the 9th of April a patch 

 of compact ice floes was reported southeast of Sable Island at the 

 unusual position of 43°07' N., 58°06' W. Owing to its erratic 

 nature this ice is shown diagrammatically in figure 14 outside the 

 maximum limits of sea ice. No further reports were made of ice 

 in that vicinity, which is not strange as the ice would melt within 

 a few days at most. Eddy currents are prevalent along the conti- 

 nental slope in the area and could easily have transported ice to 

 the position in question from the southeastern tip of the main pack 

 which at that time was about 90 miles to the north-northeast. Un- 

 usual drifts of pack ice are especially apt to occur during a major 

 break-up in the spring. At this season the ocean currents are 

 erratic and freshening, and the variable winds are effective in 

 scattering the ice to positions where it will be influenced by dif- 

 ferent currents. 



In April, as contrasted to February and March, no ice was re- 

 ported along the south coast of Nova Scotia westward from Cape 

 Canso (approximately the 61st meridian). The ice reported in 

 that area the preceding months was mostly, if not all, formed on 

 the spot during periods of cold weather. 



In the spring when the ice is breaking up, that encountered near 

 the fringes of the field is not the light ice frequently met at the 

 edge during periods of ice formation. The ice on the lee side of 

 the field is at times open and rotten, but is the remnants of heavy 

 pack and may be both compact and heavy where first encountered. 

 More often than not a heavy close packed border will be found 

 along the windward side of the field. Rather heavy ice at one time 

 or another in April reached the maximum limits for sea ice as 

 shown in figure 14. An area of heavy close packed ice 15 to 20 



47 



