December of 1972 as shovm in figure 28b. has the Icelandic 

 Low positioned at 62°N 30°W, slightly east of its normal 

 location. Its mean pressure was 985 mb, significantly lower 

 than the normal of 1000.7 mb. This resulted in a 18 mb. tighter 

 gradient between the center of the Low and the Labrador coast 

 and the impedous to push icebergs further south than normal. 



In figure 28c. the January Icelandic Low is again dominant, 

 in its mean position near Cape Farewell (Kap Farvel) , but with 

 a 985 mb. pressure remaining significantly below its normal. 

 As last month, the pressure gradients were greater than the 

 climatological mean. The climatic normal for February as 

 shown in figure 28d. has the Icelandic Low near 59°N 39°W 

 (about 150 miles southeast of Cape Farewell) at 1004 mb. The 

 actual sea level pressure was quite different. The main center 

 of the Icelandic Low was far to the northeast, over the Norwegian 

 Sea near 71°N 13°E at 992 mb. In what can be interpreted as 

 a secondary center, just off Keflavik, Iceland, the pressure 

 was 998 mb. A sharp ridge of low pressure extended from this 

 secondary center southward over Newfoundland. Although the 

 resulting pressure gradients were again greater than normal, 

 they were significantly less than the previous two months. 



In figure 28e. the March Icelandic Low was located between 

 Cape Farewell and Iceland, only about 300 miles northeast of 

 its usual 1004-mh position and 4 mb. lower than normal. 

 However, when combined with a 1019-mb. high pressure center 

 over northern Greenland, much larger wind gradients than normal 

 resulted across the Labrador Sea, almost equal to the January 

 magnitudes. As spring is the time of change and unsettled 

 conditions, so was the mean pressure chart of April as shown 

 in figure 28f. With highs and lows interchanged, a large 

 positive anomoly was created north of 45"'N along the Newfound- 

 land and Labrador coasts. For the first time in many years 

 a large negative gradient (winds from the southeast) was 

 predominent. 



The Icelandic Low was undefined as frequently occurs in 

 May (figure 28g.), with both the Azores-Bermuda and Greenland 

 Highs slightly higher than normal. A resulting positive 

 anomoly over the Labrador coc.sc identified continued south- 

 easterly winds, although of a lesser magnitude than the previous 

 month. In figure 28h. the mean pressure pattern in the North 

 Atlantic in June was shifted northward and eastward. The Ice- 

 landic Low was over Iceland (more than 1000 miles northeast of 

 its average position on the coast of Labrador) and 4 mb. less 

 than normal. Slightly above normal pressure ^rradients resulted 

 along the Labrador coast. 



-17- 



