The Northern Research Basins Working Group was established in 1975 under the International Hydrological Program.  The role of the working group is to encourage research on the hydrology of basins in northern latitudes where snow, ice and frozen ground play a dominant role. 

The NRB working group normally meets every two years; there have been 15 symposia at the following locations: Edefors, Sweden (1975); Fairbanks, U.S.A. (1977); Quebec City, Canada (1979); Ullensvang, Norway (1982); Viermaki, Finland (1984); Houghton, U.S.A. (1986); Illulissat, Greenland (1986); Abisko, Sweden (1990); Whitehorse/Inuvik, Canada (1992); Svalbard, Norway (1994); Prudhoe Bay/Fairbanks, U.S.A. (1997); Reykjavik/Kirkjubærklaustur, Iceland (1999): Saarisälkä, Finland / Murmansk, Russia (2001); Kangerlussuaq, Greenland/Denmark  (2003), Luleå/Kvikkjokk, Sweden (2005), Karelia, Russia (2007) and the Eastern Arctic, Canada in 2009. The 18th NRB will be held in Norway in 2011.