The Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN) aims to understand, diagnose, and predict interactions amongst the cryospheric, ecological, hydrological, and climatic components of the changing Earth system at multiple scales with a geographic focus on Western Canada's rapidly changing cold interior. Across this region CCRN members operate a set of long-term water, ecosystem, cryosphere, and climate (WECC) observatories with data sets often spanning several decades. With this ESSD special issue, the Canadian network promotes the establishment, long-term maintenance, validation, description, accessibility, and distribution of high-quality cold-region data sets through a coordinated publication effort.

The special issue is open to all submissions within its scope and welcomes related observational and model data sets from cold-region observatories around the world.