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Mark Jason Lara

Assistant Professor

Biography

My research strives to advance our understanding of how Arctic and Boreal (permafrost landscapes) ecosystems have/will respond to climate change and disturbance (permafrost degradation, wildfire, & herbivory). Ecosystem responses to such events are complicated, varying quite dramatically over space and time. Therefore, my research focuses on disentangling this ecological puzzle using a multi-scale observation trifecta (ground-based monitoring, aerial/satellite remote sensing, and empirical/machine-learning/process-based modeling).

Research Interests

Geographic Information Science; GIS and Society; Space-Time Analytics; River, Watershed, and Landscape Dynamics

Education

  • Ph.D. University of Texas at El Paso

Additional Campus Affiliations

Assistant Professor, Plant Biology
Assistant Professor, Geography and Geographic Information Science

Highlighted Publications

Chen, Y., Lara, M. J., & Hu, F. S. (2020). A robust visible near-infrared index for fire severity mapping in Arctic tundra ecosystems. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 159, 101-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2019.11.012

Natali, S. M., Watts, J. D., Rogers, B. M., Potter, S., Ludwig, S. M., Selbmann, A. K., Sullivan, P. F., Abbott, B. W., Arndt, K. A., Birch, L., Björkman, M. P., Bloom, A. A., Celis, G., Christensen, T. R., Christiansen, C. T., Commane, R., Cooper, E. J., Crill, P., Czimczik, C., ... Zona, D. (2019). Large loss of CO2 in winter observed across the northern permafrost region. Nature Climate Change, 9(11), 852-857. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0592-8

Lara, M. J., Lin, D. H., Andresen, C., Lougheed, V. L., & Tweedie, C. E. (2019). Nutrient Release From Permafrost Thaw Enhances CH4 Emissions From Arctic Tundra Wetlands. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 124(6), 1560-1573. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004641

Lara, M. J., Chipman, M. L., & Hu, F. S. (2019). Automated detection of thermoerosion in permafrost ecosystems using temporally dense Landsat image stacks. Remote Sensing of Environment, 221, 462-473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.11.034

Lara, M. J., Nitze, I., Grosse, G., Martin, P., & David McGuire, A. (2018). Reduced arctic tundra productivity linked with landform and climate change interactions. Scientific Reports, 8(1), Article 2345. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-20692-8

Salmon, V. G., Breen, A. L., Kumar, J., Lara, M. J., Thornton, P. E., Wullschleger, S. D., & Iversen, C. M. (2019). Alder distribution and expansion across a tundra hillslope: implications for local N cycling. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, Article 1099. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.01099

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Recent Publications

Nitze, I., Van der Sluijs, J., Barth, S., Bernhard, P., Huang, L., Kizyakov, A., Lara, MJ., Nesterova, N., Runge, A., Veremeeva, A., Ward Jones, M., Witharana, C., Xia, Z., & Liljedahl, AK. (Accepted/In press). A Labeling Intercomparison of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps by a Diverse Group of Domain Experts. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2249

Schore, A. I. G., Fraterrigo, J. M., Salmon, V. G., Yang, D., & Lara, M. J. (2023). Nitrogen fixing shrubs advance the pace of tall-shrub expansion in low-Arctic tundra. Communications Earth and Environment, 4(1), Article 421. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01098-5

Zhang, Q., Zhang, X., Lara, M. J., Li, Z., Xiao, J., Zhao, K., & Hu, T. (2023). Impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on tundra productivity near Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Environmental Research Letters, 18(9), Article 094070. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf7d6

Blunden, J., Boyer, T., Dunn, R. J. H., Allen, J., Hammer, G., Love-Brotak, S. E., Misch, D. J., Ohlmann, L., Riddle, D. B., Veasey, S. W., Ades, M., Adler, R., Aldred, F., Allan, R. P., Anderson, J., Anneville, O., Aono, Y., Argüez, A., Arosio, C., ... Zhu, Z. (2022). STATE OF THE CLIMATE IN 2021. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 103(8), S11-S142. https://doi.org/10.1175/2022BAMSStateoftheClimate.1

Chen, Y., Kelly, R., Genet, H., Lara, M. J., Chipman, M. L., McGuire, A. D., & Hu, F. S. (2022). Resilience and sensitivity of ecosystem carbon stocks to fire-regime change in Alaskan tundra. Science of the Total Environment, 806, Article 151482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151482

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