International Ice Charting Working Group

Overview

The International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG), formed in October 1999, is a working group of the world’s national ice services to promote coordination of operational sea ice and iceberg information services to better meet the needs of their national and international maritime clients. Through collaboration and cooperation in data sharing, standards, training, product development, research activities, and the delivery of information services, the IICWG aims to enhance the safety of maritime operations in ice-covered waters. For more on the history and purpose of the IICWG, see The IICWG - An Historical Perspective After 13 Years. For a comprehensive description of sea ice information services worldwide, see WMO's Sea Ice Information Services in the World.

The IICWG is governed by a Charter and Terms of Reference and has adopted a Vision and Strategic Goals.

The current co-chairs of the IICWG are:

  • Marianne Thyrring, Director-General, Danish Meteorological Institute
  • Russ White, Director-General, Prediction Services, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Current Ice Information

Latest News

Meetings

Next Meeting

The 25th meeting of the IICWG will be held in Monterey, CA, USA hosted by the Naval Postgraduate School from September 9-13, 2024.

Most Recent Meeting

The 24th meeting of the IICWG was held in Cambridge, United Kingdom hosted by the British Antarctic Survey from September 25-29, 2023.

What's New

IICWG Charter

Originally Adopted: 7 October 1999

Most Recently Updated: 17 November 2016

Recognizing the ongoing interest of the nations influenced by ice covered seas in the use and protection of these seas; and further recognizing the value and economics of cooperative activities in operational ice services supporting maritime navigation; the ice charting nations of the world hereby form the International Ice Charting Working Group.

Charter of the International Ice Charting Working Group

Attachment One of the Charter - Terms of Reference

Most Recently Updated: 26 October 2007

The terms of reference outline the objectives of the IICWG with respect to the following:

  • Data and Product Exchange
  • Terminology, Data, and Mapping Standards
  • Operations and Customer Support
  • Training
  • Technology for Analysis and Forecasting
  • Applied Science, Research, and Development

Terms of Reference (Attachment One of the Charter)

Annex 1 to the Terms of Reference

Most Recently Updated: 26 October 2007

This annex deals with the rotation and responsibilities of the IICWG Co-Chairs and the conduct of meetings.

Annex 1 to the Terms of Reference

Vision and Strategic Goals

Originally Adopted: 28 September 2018

This document outlines the long term goals of the IICWG.

IICWG Vision and Strategic Goals

Participating Agencies

Organizational Structure of Ice Services (PDF 94 KB)

Argentine Naval Hydrographic Service

Australian Bureau of Meteorology

British Antarctic Survey

Canadian Ice Service

Danish Meteorological Institute

Finnish Meteorological Institute

Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH)

Icelandic Meteorological Office

Japan Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department

North American Ice Service

Norwegian Meteorological Institute

Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

Russian Federation Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute

South African Weather Service

Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute

United States National Ice Center

U.S. Coast Guard International Ice Patrol - North Atlantic Iceberg Detection and Forecasting

Related Links

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research

Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI)

Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment 2009 Report

British Antarctic Survey

DCRS Sea-ice Information System

Global Digital Sea Ice Data Bank

International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean

Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM)

National Snow and Ice Data Center

North American Ice Service

Space and the Arctic Workshop Conclusions

WMO Marine Meteorology and Oceanography Programme

 

Note: This site is maintained for IICWG by the NOAA@NSIDC team.