This paper describes the details of a field study on the deterioration of two icebergs grounded outside St John’s harbour in Newfoundland, Canada. Observational data was collected during the period 10-25 June 1983, and included berg-related, meteorological and océanographie data. The study indicated the need for a stable observation platform to enable accurate measurements of iceberg profiles.
The observed decay of the two icebergs is compared with simulations from a model that predicts mass losses due to insolation, buoyant vertical convection, forced convection in air and water, wave erosion and calving of the resulting overhanging ice slabs. There was good agreement between observations and model simulations with the model underestimating the mass losses by about ten percent. Other salient features noted during the field study are also discussed.