Flow Around Icebergs

During the Norwegian Antarctic Research Expedition 1978–79, two experiments were carried out to measure flow around icebergs. Drogues were equipped with surface markers constructed to drift with the flow at various levels down to 260 m. They were tracked by a helicopter and a Motorola positioning system. As expected, the surface-layer (0 to 20 m) flow was wind-induced, but even at greater depths a relative motion of a few cm/s between the water and the iceberg was measured. Such measurements are important for the determination of drag on icebergs, and for melting and erosion processes.