OCEANOGRAPHY » 



By Floyd M. Soule 



The General Greene departed from Woods Hole on March 24, 1937, 

 stopping at Halifax with parts for the Mendota enroute to the Grand 

 Banks, where the work of makmg a current survey began on March 

 31 at station 2265 located at 43°54' N., 53°54' W. In view of the 

 reported location and drift of early-season ice southward from the 

 Avalon Penmsula of Newfoundland, it was deemed advisable to. 

 include in tliis survey the southwestern slope of the Grand Banks. 

 Work progressed without major incident until the completion of 

 station 2290 in 41°40' N., 49°20' W., on AprU 4, when conditions of 

 wind and sea caused the omission of two proposed stations located 

 southeastward of this position. Station work was resumed at station. 

 2291 in 41°56' N., 46°59' W., on April 6 and continued until AprU 10; 

 when the collection of data was completed at station 2315 in 44°28' 

 N., 46°55' W., a total of 51 stations having been occupied. Two 

 additional sections northward of latitude 45° had been planned but 

 had to be eliminated in order to retain a fuel reserve sufficient to 

 reach Halifax in the event that the harbor of St. John's, Newfound- 

 land, could not be entered because of the field ice which had been 

 prevalent along the Avalon Peninsula during the spring. The result- 

 ing current chart was then constructed and delivered to the Mendota 

 20 hours after the last station had been completed. The General 

 Greene then proceeded toward Cape Race, skirting the coast inside 

 the ice to St. Jolm's, where she arrived on April 13. 



On April 26 the General Greene departed from St. John's for the 

 purpose of making a second current map of the region in the vicinity 

 of the Grand Banks beheved to be critical with respect to the drift 

 of menacmg ice. In order to insure getting data from that part 

 of the area immediately southward of latitude 47° N., and to take 

 advantage of a waning moon it was decided to work from the north 

 towards south. 



Accordingly, the work of collection of data began at station 2316 

 located at 46°58' N., 48°41' W., on April 27. Aside from occasional 

 delays arising from mechanical difficulties, the work progressed with- 

 out interruption. Collection of data was completed at station 2389 

 at 42°00' N., 52°00' W., on May 9, a total of 74 stations having been 

 occupied. The resulting current map was then constructed and 



1 Contribution No. 173 of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. 



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