Dr Elizabeth Whitney

Dr. Elizabeth Whitney is a Biogeochemist at NOAA's National Ocean Service, where her work focuses on understanding how carbon moves through coastal ecosystems. She completed her PhD at the University of Delaware, where her research examined carbon dynamics across forested, agricultural, and urban coastal environments, building a clearer picture of how land use shapes carbon cycling and what that means for a changing climate. Prior to her doctorate, she also conducted research on forever chemicals and heavy metal contamination detection, reflecting a broader commitment to environmental health and water quality science.

NOAA's National Ocean Service works to understand and manage the nation's coastal and marine resources, providing the science that informs decisions on everything from navigational safety to ecosystem conservation.

On The Grove podcast by Earth Onward, Dr. Whitney joined host and friend to discuss her doctoral research in depth, covering how carbon behaves differently depending on whether a coastal environment is forested, farmed, or urbanized. The conversation also touched on what these patterns reveal about broader environmental and climate shifts, the real world applications of her research, and the practical realities of running a scientific lab, including the economics behind keeping that work funded and moving forward.