The role of the NRB is to encourage research on the hydrology of basins in northern latitudes where snow, ice and frozen ground play a dominant role. Eleven highly successful symposia have been held in the various circumpolar countries: 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); the Eastern Arctic, Canada (2009); Norway, (2011), Alaska, U.S.A. (2013), Kuusamo, Finland (2015), Yakutsk, Russia (2017), and the 22nd NRB was held in Yellowknife, Canada (2019).