As the daughter of firefighters in Southern California, Gabby Kitch grew up with a strong sense of how public service can help preserve and protect the world - with water.
In her career she just opted for a different method of performing that service. While Kitch's parents chose firefighting - her mother is a retired San Diego firefighter, and her father was a firefighter in Poway and fire chief for the city of Newport Beach - she chose climate science.
Kitch, an associate research scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), is heading up a new initiative for the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture (YCNCC) called Blue Carbon Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE). The project will combine the latest scientific knowledge of the carbon dioxide removal capabilities of ocean alkalinity - the ocean's natural ability to neutralize acids - with mangrove tree restoration in coastal ecosystems.
The idea is to create an innovative, scalable way to remove carbon dioxide pollution from the air and store it in the ocean, while also (via mangrove restoration) helping coastal communities and protecting coastal ecosystems.
"This will be a novel undertaking, working with coastal communities to use cutting-edge science that helps solve climate change," Kitch said. "The scientific concept is well established, but restoration for the purpose of increasing alkalinity has not yet been actively pursued."
Noah Planavsky, a professor of Earth and planetary science in FAS and a faculty member of YCNCC, said Kitch has a "proven track record" of shepherding research that directly translates into actional climate solutions. Blue Carbon OAE is based, in part, on Planavsky's research.
"Having Gabby on the team is evidence of YCNCC's dedication to not only doing fundamental research, but to making sure that research has an impact," Planavsky said.
