Jökull - 01.12.1969, Qupperneq 90

M/s Langá: Single floes are dril’ting on sail-
ing route from Onundarfjörður to Isafjarðar-
djúp. Visibility 1—2 miles.
20/4 Mánárbakki reported scattered floes
and strips tairly evenly distributed.
Kambanes observed ice approaching from
NE east of Seley.
30/4 Ice reconnaissance by SII': The bound-
ary of close pack north of Iceland was slightly
undulated but followed a more or less E—W-
erly orientation from pos. 6647/2430 to 6648/
1232. It came closest to the coast 9 miles NW
of RauSinúpur ancl 12 miles N of Kögur ancl
Horn. South of this boundary and west of Mel-
rakkaslétta there was a 7 to 20 miles wide belt
of open pack extending to shore between
Kögur and Horn and at the W coast of Mel-
rakkaslétta. East of Melrakkaslétta the belt
widened somewhat and still niore east of
Langanes where it followed the NE coast to
Glettinganes at a distance of 7—12 miles ancl
reached a width of some 60 miles. South of
the open pack there was a belt of very open
pack, the edge of which was ashore at Ritur,
2—3 miles N of Skagi and Siglunes ancl ashore
at Tjörnes. From Rauðinúpur to Langanes
there was a narrow belt of close pack along
the coast. but between Digranes and Glett-
inganes there was again very open pack be-
tween the open pack ice and shore. Further
south along the E coast scattered floes, strips
and patches were observed, and some scattered
floes were also observed off the NW coast
from Kópur to Ritur.
MAY 1968
During May the ice reached its rnaximal ex-
tension along the coasts of Iceland and the
conditions at the N and E coasts xuere severe
throughout the month. Navigation xvas mostly
closed at the NE coast from Melrakkaslétla to
Langanes and the harbours on ihe E coast
were more or less icebound for 2—3 weeks. At
the N coast navigation toas possible although
impeded from W to Melrakkaslétta during the
first 10 days but then the ice moved closer to
the coast and closed navigation. The conditions
on the 18th ancl 29th are shown on Fig. 8 and
9 but as an additional indication of the un-
usual situation it can be statecl that ice was
observed every day of the month from the
meteorological stations Hornbjargsviti, Hraun,
Siglunes, Mánárbakki, Skoruvík, Dalatangi and
Karnbanes. At the SE coast the ice reached
Hornafjörður on the 14th and closed the har-
bour there. On the 18th the ice reached Ing-
ólfshöfði but furthest a narrow strip of scatter-
ed ice extended W to Núpsvötn on the 20th.
Ice had not extended so far along the S coast
since 1902.
It is not possible here to give a detailed
description of the ice from day to day as
winds, tides ancl currents were unceasingly
changing the conditions but selected samples
from the great mass of information available
follow:
2/g Kambanes reports: Dense ice is now
ashore at the headland and navigation closed
for the time being. Stöðvarfjörður and Breið-
dalsvík are still mostly free from ice, but the
ice is drifting rapidly southwards and has
reached Hlaða.
3/r, Skoruvík: Continuous dense ice ashore
and as far as seen. Good visibility.
4/g Ice drifted into Norðfjörður and closed
the harbour in Neskaupstaður. The harbour
remained icebound until the 23rd.
B/g Kjörvogur reports: A very dense icebelt
4—5 rniles wide is in the mouth of Reykjar-
fjörður ancl single floes outside. Norðurfjörður
and Ingólfsfjörður are full of ice ancl very
dense ice outside as far north as seen.
6/g Ice reconnaissance by SIF: The bound-
ary of close pack was roughly 12 miles N of
Kögur and Horn and the same distance NE of
Drangatangi, 18 miles N of Skagi, 27 miles N
of Siglunes, 3 miles N of Grímsey, ashore
from Rauðinúpur to Hraunhafnartangi ancl
27 miles NE of Langanes. In the western
part of Húnaflói a wide tongue of open
pack extended to Reykjarfjörður and from
there a narrow belt to Steingrímsfjörður. The
ice edge with open pack to the north was
13 miles N of Skagi, 11 miles N of Siglunes,
4 miles W of Grímsey and ashore at Tjörnes
and Rauðinúpur. In Þistilfjörður there was
very close and consolidated pack. At the E
coast there was a íield of close pack in Bakka-
flói, another ashore from Brimnes to Glett-
inganes ancl a narrow belt of very close pack
extended along the shore from Loðmundar-
86 JÖKULL 19. ÁR