The CLIWOC team was composed of scientists from different countries and organisations, who studied logbooks from British, Dutch, French and Spanish vessels.

• The British team consisted of partners from the University of Sunderland and the Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia. The National Maritime Museum was also actively involved in supporting the work.
• A large Spanish group was led by the Earth Physics Department, Complutense University of Madrid (Universidad Complutense Madrid).
• The Spanish group also liaised with partners from the University of Vigo (Universida de Vigo) and the Argentinean Institute of Nivology, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences (El Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA).)
• The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut) provided expertise on the Dutch sources.

The partners examined the logbooks of the Royal Navy, English and Dutch East India Company vessels, and those of the Spanish and French royal navies. Collectively, the logbooks embrace most of the world’s open seas.

The logbooks are concentrated in a small number of national archives. In Britain the Royal Navy logbooks are to be found in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich and the National Archives, Kew. The British Library holds the logbooks of the ships employed in the service of the English East India Company.

Spanish logbooks are in the care of the Naval Museum, Madrid (Museo Naval de Madrid) and the world-famous General Archives of the Indies, Saville, Spain (Archivo General de Indias). The logbooks of the Dutch East India Company are held in a number of National State Archives of the Netherlands. Those held at L'Orient and Paris are a valuable source for French material.