Dr. Mara Y. McPartland

Welcome. I'm a Postdoctoral Researcher at Leipzig University Institute for Earth System Science & Remote Sensing, formerly at the Alfred-Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Science (AWI), in Potsdam, Germany. I study past climate variability using tree-ring records, climate models and instrumental records. I received my PhD in 2022 in Geography from the University of Minnesota. My doctoral research focused the use of tree rings for studying complex relationships between forests and global change. I completed my Master's degree in Natural Resources Science and Management, also at UMN, studying the responses of northern boreal ecosystems global warming. I hold a Bachelor's degree from Bennington College, in Bennington Vermont.

Here is a link to my current CV

Publications

McPartland, M. Y., Lovato, T., Koven, C. D., et al. (2026). CMIP7 Data Request: Earth System Priorities and Opportunities, Geoscientific Model Development. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-2849-2026.
Dolman, A. M., McPartland, M. Y., Laepple, T. (2026). Strontium to calcium ratio and oxygen isotopic coral records can exaggerate past decadal tropical climate variability. Nature Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03465-4
McPartland, M. Y., Dolman, A.M., Hébert, R.., Münch, T. Laepple, T. The Colors of Proxy Noise. (2025). Climate of the Past https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-73.
McPartland, M. Y., Dolman, A. M., & Laepple, T. (2024). Separating Common Signal from Proxy Noise in Tree Rings. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(13). https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109282
McPartland, M. Y. (2024). Decadal-scale variability and warming affect spring timing and forest growth across the western Great Lakes region. International Journal of Biometeorology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-023-02616-y
McPartland, M. Y., St. George, S., Pederson, G. T., & Anchukaitis, K. J. (2020). Does signal-free detrending increase chronology coherence in large tree-ring networks? Dendrochronologia, 63: 1125 – 7865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dendro.2020.125755
McPartland, M. Y., Montgomery, R. A., Hanson, P. J., Phillips, J. R., Kolka, R., Palik, B. (2020). Vascular plant species response to warming and elevated carbon dioxide in a boreal peatland. Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abc4fb
Kattge, J, Bönisch, G, Díaz, S, [et. al. including McPartland, M.Y.] (2020) TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access. Global Change Biology. 26: 119– 188. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14904
McPartland, M.Y., Falkowski, M.J., Kane, E.S. et al. (2019). Characterizing Boreal Peatland Plant Composition and Species Diversity with Hyperspectral Remote Sensing. Remote Sensing, 11(14), 1685. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11141685
McPartland, M. Y., Kane, E. S., Falkowski, M. J., Kolka, R., Turetsky, M. R., Palik, B., & Montgomery, R. A. (2018). The response of boreal peatland community composition and NDVI to hydrologic change, warming and elevated carbon dioxide. Global Change Biology. 25(1), 93-107. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14465

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