We are pleased to invite the ESIIL community to contribute to a special issue that will be published in Environmental Data Science, an open access journal dedicated to the use of data-driven approaches to understand environmental processes. 

Special Issue Title: Solution-Based Data Science for Environmental Biology Challenges

Description: This special collection will capture studies that advance fundamental fields within Environmental Data Science (EDS) (e.g., biology, evolutionary biology, ecology, earth science, geography, sociology, anthropology,  geology, hydrology, economics) and utilize big data and methods from computer science, information science, and other fields. We also welcome papers that focus on training and education as well as collaboration and interdisciplinary team science in EDS. The goal of this special issue is to advance data-intensive science, improve management, or inform policy related to today’s environmental challenges. Some example themes may include: 

1. Environmental Tipping Points and Transformations: Improving understanding of a) how we observe, measure, and detect critical thresholds, b) the drivers and their interactions, c) the post-transformation landscape including the collapse, transformation, and recovery trajectories, or d) management and intervention to enhance resilience.
2. Big Data and Advanced Analytics for Environmental Resilience and Adaptation: Using big data, advanced analytics, and data-intensive computing tools to understand resilience across genes, species, ecosystems and societies, advance ecological forecasting with solutions in mind, and inform adaptive management and nature-based solutions.
3. Emerging Topics within EDS: We aim to define the most pressing environmental challenges and opportunities for solutions-oriented science. Emerging topics may include extreme disturbances and climate, biodiversity and community dynamics, food webs and nutrient flows, evolutionary patterns, or complex socio-ecological systems, as some examples. 

Submission Window: March 1, 2026 - May 31, 2026 

Guest Editors:

Chelsea Nagy, chelsea.nagy@colorado.edu

Cibele Amaral, cibele.amaral@colorado.edu 

Ty Tuff, ty.tuff@colorado.edu 

Please reach out to Chelsea Nagy (chelsea.nagy@colorado.edu) by October 31, 2025 if you intend to submit a paper to the special issue. Please include a tentative title and author list.