The Next Generation of Environmental Scientists are Data Scientists

These days, the “data problem” for environmental scientists is less about having enough of it and more about figuring out what to do with all of it – and to do it efficiently. Environmental data science is a burgeoning field representing the skills, tools, and techniques for organizing and analyzing large amounts of data to answer the increasingly complex questions environmental scientists are facing. Data science is the science of extracting meaning from potentially complex data. This is a fast moving field, drawing principles and techniques from a number of different disciplinary areas including computer science, statistics and complexity science. Data science is having a profound impact on a number of areas including commerce, health, and smart cities. This paper argues that data science can have an equal if not greater impact in the area of earth and environmental sciences, offering a rich tapestry of new techniques to support both a deeper understanding of the natural environment in all its complexities, as well as the development of well-founded mitigation and adaptation strategies in the face of climate change.