In 1975, the International Hydrological Program (IHP) National Committees of Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the United States of America, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)  established the IHP Working Group on Northern Research Basins, now called the “NRB Working Group” . In 1992, Iceland joined the group and Russia took over the responsibilities of the former USSR. 

Countries with polar research programmes are eligible for associate membership; current associate members are the UK, Japan, Switzerland and Germany. Most NRB participants are hydrologists or glaciologists, however, participants have also included climatologists, geomorphologists, biologists, ecologists and oceanographers.

Every second year since the start there have been a NRB Workshop&Symposium. The arrangement alternate between North America and Europe. Each member country can send up to 10 delegates to an NRB meeting, and the host country can nominate additional participants as observers. Attendance is also open to observers from associate member countries and occasionally non-member countries. The chief delegate of the host country acts as the Chair for the interval from the conclusion of the previous meeting until the end of the current meeting. 

Symposia and workshops since 1975

1. Edefors, Sweden (1975)

2. Fairbanks, USA (1977)

3. Québec City, Canada (1979)

4. Ullensvang, Norway (1982)

5. Vierumäki, Finland (1984); 

6. Houghton, USA (1986)

7. Ilulissat, Greenland (1988)

8. Abisco, Sweden (1990)

9. Whitehorse-Dawson-Inuvik, Canada (1992)

10. Spitsbergen, Norway (1994);

11. Prudhoe Bay-Fairbanks, USA (1997)

12. Reykjavik-Kirkjubærjarklaustur, Iceland (1999)

13. Saariselkä-Murmansk, Finland/Russia (2001)

14. Kangerlussuaq, Greenland/Denmark (2003)

15. Luleå-Kvikkjokk, Sweden (2005), Minutes

16. Karelia, Russia (2007), Minutes

17. Eastern Arctic, Canada (2009), Minutes

18. Bergen-Geiranger-Loen-Fjærland-Voss, Norway (2011), Proceedings, Minutes

19. South-central Alaska, USA (2013)

20. Kuusamo, Finland (2015), Proceedings

21. Yakutsk, Russia (2017).

22. Yellowknife, Canada (2019), Proceedings

23. Västerbotten, Sweden (2023) 

24. ??? 50 year anniversary, Norway (2025)