passed south of 48'N in November 

 1940 and was originally counted as a 

 1940 observation. Here it is counted 

 as a 1941 observation. This explains 

 the minor differences between Table 1 

 and the original data in IIP annual 

 reports. 



Previous Mild Ice Seasons 



This review was conducted 

 using MP's annual reports, which 

 contain extensive narratives of ice and 

 oceanographic conditions and 



tabulated and plotted data for each ice 

 season. The environmental data came 

 from a variety of sources, including 

 oceanographic and meteorological data 

 from IIP patrol and research vessels 

 and volunteer reporting ships, which 

 were asked to provide sea temperature 

 and ice data every four hours. The sea 

 surface temperature (SST) data were 

 particularly useful. From these reports, 

 IIP compiled twice-a-month SST 

 charts, sometimes with 1000 or more 

 reports, sometimes fewer than 100. 



Prior to World War II, ice 

 observation information was gleaned 

 from conversations with mariners 

 operating near Newfoundland and 

 Labrador, especially those on sealing 

 vessels. In fact, one of the first orders 

 of business for an IIP vessel upon its 

 arrival in St. John's, Newfoundland, 

 was to visit the various vessels in port 

 and discuss their observations. IIP 

 also made use of an extensive network 

 of shore observers, including 

 Newfoundland Rangers, and coastal 

 natives. After World War II, ice patrol 

 used aerial reconnaissance to define 

 the distribution of sea Ice. 



1924: The 1924 iceberg season 

 was quite a surprise to IIP. Since the 

 inauguration of the north Atlantic ice 

 patrol shortly after the 1912 sinking of 

 the RMS TITANIC, IIP became 

 accustomed to active iceberg seasons. 

 With the exception of the early World 

 War I years of 1916 and 1917, when 

 there were fewer reporting ships than 

 normal. Ice Patrol had tracked several 

 hundred to a thousand icebergs each 

 year. In 1924, however, there was no 

 meaningful iceberg threat to the 

 transatlantic steamers; eleven icebergs 

 passed south of 48°N. In April, one of 

 the eleven reached 41°11'N latitude, 

 but the remaining ten did not reach 

 very far below 48°N. 



The mild 1923-1924 winter led 

 to late March sea surface temperatures 

 over the Grand Banks that were about 

 3°C warmer than normal. With the 

 exception of a few patches, there was 

 no sea ice south of Newfoundland 

 during the entire iceberg season. 

 Observers on the northern 

 Newfoundland and southern Labrador 

 coasts reported field ice arrived a 

 month later than normal and departed 

 early, with a maximum extent that was 

 far less than normal. The winds at 

 Battle Harbor, Labrador prevailed from 

 the east, and periods of northwesterly 

 winds were of shorter duration than 

 normal. There was remarkably little fog 

 on the Grand Banks, and the patrol 

 vessels reported good weather during 

 the April and May cruises, a peculiar 

 occurrence. In the latter part of May, 

 Ice Patrol found large numbers of 

 icebergs in the bight of Newfoundland, 

 between Cape Bauld and Funk Island 

 (Figure 1). 



58 



