International Ice Charting Working Group

Overview

The International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG), formed in October 1999, has successfully worked as a forum for the operational ice services and other like-minded organizations to help them better meet the needs of their national and international maritime clients through coordination and cooperation in data and technology sharing, standards, training, product development, and research activities. Working on task teams every year and through the annual meeting, IICWG has proven to be a valuable opportunity for the national ice services to meet with partners, clients, academia, space agencies, and other related service providers to discuss issues facing operational ice monitoring and forecasting. The IICWG is an advisory body to the WMO and coordinates its activities with a number of its subsidiary bodies. For more on the history and purpose of the IICWG, see IICWG – The First 25 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

The latest ice charts can be found on the Ice Logistics Portal.
Emergency situations involving floating ice: International Ice Service Emergency Contact List (Jan 2025).
General inquiries about floating ice: Regional Contact List (Jan 2025).

Latest News

Press Release 13 September 2024: IICWG Communiqué - 25 years of Global Ice Charting and Collaboration – Successes and the Way Forward

Meetings

Most Recent Meeting

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

Next Meeting

The 26th meeting of the IICWG will be held in Tromsø, Norway hosted by the Met Norway Ice Service from September 22-26, 2025.

What's New

E-Guide to Understanding and Identifying Old Ice in Summer (PDF 48 MB, Apr 2023)
Ice Service Survey on Automated Products Summary Report (PDF 344 KB, Aug 2021)

IICWG Charter

Originally Adopted: 7 October 1999

Most Recently Updated: 10 September 2024

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.

Access the Charter of the International Ice Charting Working Group