collageOceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface and hold 97% of the water on our planet, according to the Oceanic Institute. These bodies of water are incredibly vast. However, since we’re all land-dwellers, we don’t know as much about them as we do terrestrial systems. That’s something that oceanographers — scientists who study the ocean — are tasked with changing.
As an oceanographer, you’ll focus on a specific area, such as marine biology, meteorology, or geology. You may work on projects like studying the impacts of overfishing, investigating undersea plate tectonics, and untangling the problem of climate change. A career in oceanography can be very rewarding and fun, but it can also be challenging.
What is Oceanography?
Oceanography is the study of the chemical, physical and biological properties of the oceans. It also includes its current conditions, ancient history and its future. There are 4 different branches of Oceanography:
- Physical Oceanography: It involves the study of the physical properties of marine systems. It involves water mass formation, interior and surface mixing, ocean currents, temperature and salinity and the intersection between ocean and atmosphere.
- Chemical Oceanography: It involves a broad and complex understanding of the distribution and reactivity of chemical components in the ocean and at the land, sediment, and atmosphere-ocean interfaces.
- Geological Oceanography: It covers the structure, features, and formation of the seafloor and how it changes over time.
- Biological Oceanography: It is a critical branch of Oceanography. It studies how the ocean’s plants and animals affect and are affected by physical, chemical and geological features of the oceanographic system.
What Does an Oceanographer Do?
Although there are some people who officially hold the job title of “oceanographer,” this is more of an umbrella term used to describe anyone who studies the ocean.
In particular, oceanographers tend to fall into four main areas, depending on their focus:
- BIOLOGICALStudies living organisms within the ocean.
- PHYSICALStudies physical processes, such as weather, waves, and erosion.
- CHEMICALStudies ocean chemistry, such as ocean acidification.
- GEOLOGICALStudies the sea floor, such as volcanoes, undersea vents, and trenches.
As an oceanographer, you’ll have to be comfortable doing field research. This might mean sailing on a ship for long periods of time and living in cramped quarters, such as in submersibles or galleys. You might be exposed to difficult weather like polar environments, hurricanes, or typhoons.
However, your day-to-day work may seem less exciting when you’re back on land. You’ll likely spend much of your time in an office with a computer or in a lab conducting tests. Daily tasks may include reading scientific journal articles, applying for grants, and documenting your findings. You’ll also have to network with other researchers and present your work at meetings and conferences.
Oceanographer Responsibilities
Oceanographers work on specific research projects and are often employed by universities, federal research agencies, or private consulting firms. No matter your oceanography career focus, you’ll need to do the following:
- Be interested in math and science
- Be detail-oriented and highly focused
- Present your research at meetings and conferences
- Be comfortable working on ships and in small spaces
- Be comfortable working in a lab setting back on land
- Read and write scientific, peer-reviewed journal articles
- Network with other researchers and mentor new students
Your responsibilities will also differ depending on your exact role and how much education you have. If you have an advanced degree, you might be expected to work more independently on your own project, as compared to someone with only an undergraduate degree.
For example, if you’re interested in studying the effects of ocean acidification on shellfish, you might be able to carry out research underneath someone else’s guidance as a technician if you’ve only completed your bachelor’s degree. This means you might drive out to beaches, take samples, do lab work, and collect data for someone else.
Alternatively, if you have an advanced degree, such as a Ph.D., you might be the person who finds funding for a project, hires technicians, writes sampling protocols, analyzes data, and writes up and presents the findings.
Where Does an Oceanographer Work?
The oceans cover nearly 70% of the Earth, comprising the majority of the planet’s biosphere. Fieldwork is critical to an oceanographer’s line of work, meaning that oceanographers will often find themselves working on the ocean or in areas that contact the ocean. Since the ocean impacts the global climate and the overall health of our planet, oceanographers may find themselves investigating the ocean’s impact on places far from the ocean. Ocean scientists often have to travel extensively, doing physical tasks and encountering risky organisms or scenarios that test all of their skills.
The day to day duties of oceanographers can vary widely, however, every activity they perform is related to their primary task: research. Oceanographers spend lots of time conducting research, which means reading many pages of studies, running experiments, collecting data, and then writing about their results and sharing their findings with the world. Lots of this work is done in a laboratory, but in order to study the ocean, a researcher must spend time in the water, on the water, or near the water. Some oceanographers learn to SCUBA dive, others spend time on a boat or in a submersible in order to collect data. Many oceanographers work at institutions around the world where they spend plenty of time lecturing or teaching about the ocean. Obviously, many of the most reputable oceanographic institutions are located near the coastline. They pass on their knowledge to new student scientists who are training to become tomorrow’s oceanographers.
Oceanography Job Demand and Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track employment data for oceanographers as a whole; however, it does report numbers for many jobs that fall under the oceanographer umbrella. Your odds of success at finding a job, as well your earning potential, depend on the type of oceanographer you become.
The table below includes information about common jobs in this field.
| JOB TYPE | MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY | NUMBER OF JOBS HELD | PROJECTED JOB GROWTH (2018-28) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biochemist and Biophysicists | $94,490 | 30,400 | 6% |
| Biological Technicians | $45,860 | 85,000 | 7% |
| Chemical Technicians | $49,260 | 70,300 | 2% |
| Conservation Scientists | $62,410 | 32,900 | 3% |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians | $46,540 | 34,800 | 9% |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists | $71,360 | 85,000 | 8% |
| Geoscientists | $92,040 | 31,000 | 6% |
| Hydrologists | $81,270 | 6,700 | 7% |
| Microbiologists | $75,650 | 21,700 | 5% |
| Atmospheric Scientists and Meteorologists | $95,380 | 10,000 | 8% |
| Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists | $63,270 | 19,300 | 5% |
Oceanography Degree Requirements
Oceanographers usually receive a background education in biology, physics, chemistry, and geology, but they generally go on to focus their research within one field or the other. There are a few schools that offer undergraduate Bachelor’s degrees in marine biology, however, most oceanographers further their study before seeking work. Usually, there are internships and assistant-level positions available for those with only undergraduate degrees. To get a more prominent position as an oceanographer, students usually go on to acquire a Master’s or PhD level education before become ocean scientists. However, the undergraduate period allows a student to acquire experience all the chemistry, biology, and physics basis that allow them to build upon their studies with more advanced topics in oceanography.
Source: BLS
Becoming an Oceanographer
As scientists, oceanographers must undergo a lot of training. It’s not really a job you can get without a college degree.
To set yourself apart on the job market, it can be helpful to accrue relevant experience, which you can get in many different ways. It’s always best to get a paid position if you can, especially during the summer. If that’s not possible, however, you can look for an internship or volunteer position.
Many people engage in some sort of unpaid work to gain experience. If you find yourself in this position, you’ll need to be able to sustain yourself financially. This can be done by taking out student loans, relying on support from family members, earning scholarships and grants, and/or working a temporary job.
You may also want to consider things like learning how to scuba dive, drive a boat, swim, and rescue others from the water. These skills can help give you an edge over other candidates.
Earning an Oceanography Degree
Some colleges and universities do offer a degree in oceanography, such as Hawai’i Pacific University and the Florida Institute of Technology. However, many students prepare for a career in oceanography by studying a related field, such as any of the following:
- Biology or wildlife biology
- Physics
- Ecology
- Geology
- Fisheries
- Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Environmental science
- Natural resources management
- Atmospheric and oceanic sciences
Regardless of your major, you’ll need a solid grounding in mathematics and statistics. You’ll also need to take classes in other oceanography areas outside of your chosen track. For example, a marine biologist still needs to understand chemistry, while a geologist needs to understand basic concepts of biology.
Most oceanography careers require at least a bachelor’s degree. This level of education allows you to apply for many technician positions. However, your odds of success — along with your job title, responsibilities, and pay — tend to go up if you have a graduate-level degree.
To be competitive for some technician positions, you may need a master’s degree. Additionally, many oceanographers go on to earn a doctorate and may even spend time in postdoctoral positions with different research groups.
The Value of an Oceanography Career
Climate change and overpopulation are causing big problems for the natural world. Oceans are becoming increasingly acidic, and weather patterns are shifting unpredictably. These effects are having a negative impact on biological life, especially in the oceans.
If humans want to be good stewards of our planet, it’s our responsibility to find ways to reverse course and repair this environmental damage before it’s too late. To do this, we need scientists — including oceanographers — to lead the way and develop a plan of action.
A career in oceanography has its distinct challenges and may come with more responsibilities than many other professions. However, if you’re interested in making new discoveries and positively impacting our planet, this role might be right up your alley.
Top 10 Universities for Oceanographers
There is a wide range of universities/colleges offering oceanography courses around the globe. Here we have formulated a list of universities that offers oceanography courses to the aspirants:
| University | Average Total Fees (in USD) | Average Total Fees (in INR) |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 77,020 | 57 lakhs |
| The University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | 69,304 | 51.2 lakhs |
| The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 17,856 | 13.2 lakhs |
| University of California, San Diego | 36,000 | 26.6 lakhs |
| The University of Washington (Seattle Campus) | 30,640 | 22.6 lakhs |
| University of Miami | 75,230 | 55.6 lakhs |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | 79,947 | 59.1 lakhs |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | 55,888 | 41.3 lakhs |
| University of California – Santa Cruz | 58,983 | 43.6 lakhs |
collage