However many radar targets were observed dur- 

 ing this portion of the flight, and in view of a 

 2 March report of two icebergs near 52-lON 

 51-30W, all of the radar targets were evaluated 

 as icebergs although some may undoubtedly have 

 been ships in the sealing fleet. The results of the 

 survey between 27 February and 4 March are 

 shown in figure 4. Counts in the area between 

 Hamilton Inlet, Labrador and Hudson Strait 

 were about 95% higher than the 1963-70 average 

 of 300 icebergs. Counts south of Hamilton Inlet 

 were about 5% lower than the 1963-70 average 

 of about 62 icebergs. On the basis of the above 

 average number of icebergs sighted on this sur- 

 vey a special iceberg bulletin forecasting a heavy 

 iceberg season on the Grand Banks was issued on 

 9 March. 



A series of preseason flights between 18 and 20 

 March showed that sea ice extended past Cape 

 Freels to about 49N, and that icebergs were lo- 

 cated in two general groupings; one in the sea 

 ice centered near 51N 54W, the other as a group 

 of radar targets east of the sea ice centered near 

 Sl^ON 52-OOW. A lone growler was observed 

 outside the sea ice in position 49-50N 50-20W. 

 The observations made on these flights are shown 

 in figure 5. By the end of March the icebergs 

 previously sighted in sea ice had moved as far 

 south as 49-50N and the group outside the sea 

 ice, now positively identified as icebergs, had 

 moved south to about 51-OON 51-OOW. This is 

 shown in figure 6 which shows the results of a 

 series of flights made 26-29 March. Between the 

 beginning and end of ]\Iarch the sea ice did not 

 appreciably change in its southern extent; how- 

 ever it did move about 50 miles westward toward 

 Cape Freels. Throughout most of the middle and 

 end of March there was generally open water to 

 be found in the form of wide shore leads between 

 Cape Freels and White Bay. The maximum ex- 

 tent of sea ice in March is approximately as 

 shown in figure 6. This is considerably less than 

 the 1898-1938 average extent shown in the Ice 

 Atlas of the Northern Hemisphere published by 

 the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office. For com- 

 parison the average sea ice extent for March is 

 also shown in figure 6. It is estimated that no 

 icebergs drifted south of 48N in March 1970. 



April 



By the end of the first week of April sea ice 

 was found south of Cape Bonavista to about 



latitude 48-20N, and extended as far east as 

 51-OOW. This was a net movement of about 50 

 miles southeastward from' its position during the 

 series of flights in late March. A number of ice- 

 bergs and growlers were found along and south 

 of the sea ice edge by the end of the first week 

 of April. See figure 7. The icebergs shown in 

 figure 7 are believed to be those found inside the 

 sea ice during the last part of March. By mid- 

 April the eastern limit of sea ice had retreated 

 to about 53-OOW, maintaining the same south- 

 ward extent to between 48-OON and 49-OON. By 

 this time a few growlers were poised slightly 

 north of 48N along the Newfoundland coast, as 

 shown in figure 8. Throughout the remainder of 

 the month sea ice continued to withdraw north- 

 westward. By 20 April Cape Freels was clear of 

 sea ice, and by the end of the month half of 

 Notre Dame Bay was clear as far north as Fogo 

 Island. As the sea ice withdrew a few icebergs 

 began to di'ift south along the Avalon Peninsula, 

 as revealed by iceberg reports received during the 

 latter part of April. See figure 9. The first ice- 

 berg found south of 48 N was reported on 21 April 

 by the Ice Reconnaissance Detachment at 47-20N 

 52-25AV. It is estimated that approximately five 

 icebergs drifted south of 48N during April. Four 

 of these drifted along the Avalon Peninsula and 

 evidently melted within 60 miles south of Cape 

 Race. The fifth iceberg was reported in position 

 47-20N 50-50W on 1 May, having drifted south 

 of 48N a few days previously. Numerous radar 

 targets were reported on the northern Grand 

 Banks in latter April ; howevei- it is believed that 

 few, if any, of these were icebergs, but rather 

 were passing ships. The maximum extent of sea 

 ice for April 1970 was that found during the first 

 week as shown in figure 7. Comparison with the 

 Ice Atlas average for April reveals that there was 

 much less sea ice than normal in April 1970. 



May 



Throughout May the southern limit of sea ice 

 hovered northeast of Cape Bonavista, Newfound- 

 land, and a fairly extensive shore lead was usual- 

 ly present between Cape Freels and the Notre 

 Dame Bay area. By the end of the month the 

 southern sea ice limit had withdrawn to approxi- 

 mately 45 miles north of Cape Freels. During 

 the first half of May the sea ice limits were gen- 

 erally to the west of 53W. During the later half 

 of the month tiie width of the ice off Belle Isle 



