distribution or a long season is the requirement for a greater number of aircraft hours needed to conduct 

 reconnaissance. Thus, the NSSI can be used to compare iceberg seasons with differing iceberg populations 

 in an effort to determine trends in HP's efficiency. 



There are some drawbacks to using the NSSI as an indicator of season severity. The most significant is 

 that the information required to calculate the NSSI is not available for as long a period as the iceberg 

 counts. The iceberg count extends to the late 1800s. while the NSSI can be computed with confidence 

 back to 1975. In addition, many users of the season severity information are interested only in a specific 

 area, so the iceberg count is a satisfactory indicator. These users include the offshore oil industry and 

 other local marine interests. 



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