Operational iceberg forecasting concerns

The International Ice Patrol uses parametric deterioration models to forecast iceberg melt rates in the vicinity of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. In June 1987, the Patrol conducted a week-long study of iceberg deterioration in the Labrador current. The objectives were to compare iceberg deterioration predictions derived from inputs collected in situ to inputs available from operational data centers. A cluster of six medium-sized icebergs was studied. Iceberg histories were compared to operational melt predictions. The findings are used in a discussion of the Patrol´s system input errors and of the efforts the Patrol is pursuing to reduce them