As explained in the 1984 Ice 

 Patrol Bulletin (Thayer, 1984), the 

 methodology and technology of 

 iceberg reconnaissance and data 

 analysis have changed 

 significantly overthe past 40 

 years. A change is evident in the 

 source distribution of iceberg 

 sightings in that SLAR accounted 

 for 78% of the USCG iceberg 

 sightings in 1 984 (49% of 

 sightings from all sources) but 

 only accounted for 53% of USCG 

 sightings in 1985 (13% of all 

 sightings) (Table 2). (An 

 increased emphasis on icebergs 

 by Canadian Atmospheric and 

 Environmental Service flights and 

 an increased contribution by the 

 commercial shipping community 

 account for other changes in the 

 overall figures.) With icebergs 

 more widely dispersed than 

 normal during much of the 1985 

 IIP season, it was frequently 

 necessary to search the eastern 

 part of the IIP area. To conserve 

 fuel during these long searches, 

 high altitude legs were flown to 

 and from the search areas. 

 Although SLAR was not operated 

 during these high altitude legs, 

 icebergs could still be sighted in 



large numbers during good 

 weather. These high-altitude 

 fligNs were much more frequent 

 during 1985 than 1984. The 

 large number of USCG visual 

 sightings on these flights, 

 together with the changes in 

 reconnaissance procedures 

 described below, greatly 

 decreased the percentage of 

 USCG iceberg sightings that were 

 SLAR-only during 1985. 



Further evaluation of SLAR's 

 capability confirms its usefulness 

 in detecting icebergs (Robe, et 

 al., 1 985) and the necessity for 

 specific SLAR iceberg 

 reconnaissance procedures to 

 assist with iceberg/ship target 

 discrimination (Appendix B). 

 Specific changes in SLAR 

 reconnaissance procedures were 

 made to maximize visual 

 confirmation of SLAR targets and 

 aid target identification during 

 1985. These changes consisted 

 of selecting daily search areas for 

 optimal visibility, subjecting SLAR 

 films to more post-flight analysis 

 and making more use of 

 supporting data from other 

 sources. 



Table 2 — Sources of IIP Iceberg Reports by Size 



Table 3 — Aircraft 

 Deployments from 10/1/84 

 to 9/30/85 



Ice Raconnalsance 



Detachment 



Deployments 



Pre-season 

 In-season 

 Post-season 

 Total 



No. of 

 Hours 

 Flown 



29.6 

 631.0 



11.3 

 671.9 



Note: In-season ICERECDET flights 

 include transit and logistics flights to 

 and from Gander during the Ice Patrol 

 season. A significantly large number 

 of logistic flights, 14 sorties and 86.1 

 hours were conducted. There were 

 72 sorties dedicated solely to ice 

 reconnaisance with a total of 507.8 

 flight hours. They are summarized as 

 follows: 



Number of Flight 



Month Sorties Hours 



FEB 4 23.6 



MAR 5 38.7 



APR 12 85.8 



MAY 15 107.5 



JUN 13 87.3 



JUL 11 83.9 



AUG 11 75.7 



SEP 1 5.3 



TOTAL 



72 



507.8 



