Modelling of iceberg drift using wind and current measurements at a fixed station

Abstract

During the summer of 1972 a major oceanographic investigation was conducted in the Labrador Sea by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science of Memorial University of Newfoundland. Wind velocity measurements taken at sea and on shore, current velocity measurements from a fixed array of current meters, and iceberg trajectory measurements recorded from shore-based radar are analysed. A statistical study shows that an iceberg's movement can be modelled within 20% from wind and current measurements. The average response of icebergs to wind and transitory current effects is presented.