Careers in Oceanography

The word oceanography conjures images of azure blue waters, colorful marine animals and an ocean scientist snorkeling with friendly dolphins. However, in reality, oceanography is a term that encapsulates an array of activities related to ocean science. Although, this career is exciting enough, it is also very challenging and marked with fierce competition. Oceanography offers career prospects in various areas of ocean science. You can work with any of the government or private organizations that deal in ocean science. In this article, we have presented a list of oceanography careers that might interest you.

Popular Careers in Oceanography

Oceanography careers can be categorized into four branches of science, namely physics, biology, chemistry and geology. All these fields represent the various aspects of oceanography. Physical aspect of oceanography involves study of temperature, density gradient, and deals with the forecast and study of natural events such as typhoons, hurricanes etc. The geological aspect deals with geological structure of marine bed, study of mountain ranges, trenches etc. Biological oceanography deals with study of marine animals, their habitat, social interaction and effects of physical factors on their life. Chemical oceanography deals with chemical composition of salt water, minerals in ocean, study of pollutants etc. Given below is a list of careers in oceanography in above explained fields.

Physical Oceanographer
He studies the correlation between various physical attributes of an ocean such as temperature, density, transmission of light, sound etc. He also studies the effect of these factors on environment and vice a verse. Besides, he is also involved with the interaction of ocean water and coast at the boundary.

Geological Oceanographer
Geological oceanographer studies the floor of the ocean, formation of rocks, geological structures such as mountains, valleys, marine trenches etc. He also plots maps of the structures so that further study is possible. Geological study of ocean reveals various facts about the behavior of earth's crust, movement of tectonic plates, formation of seismic waves etc.

Biological Oceanographer
Biological oceanographer studies the different marine species and their anatomy. This includes study of DNA and RNA of animals to explore about their evolution, habitation and other issues. A biological oceanographer may also study social interaction of these animals as well as effects of physical factors on the life of marine animals. He may collaborate with a chemical oceanographer to find out how chemical changes in their habitat affect their life cycle.

Chemical Oceanographer
Chemical oceanographer deals with the study of chemical components of ocean. He studies the ocean water for presence of minerals, pollutants etc. He is also involved with modes of desalination of water as well as harnessing chemical components in ocean for development of human life, without damaging the ecosystem.

Other Careers in Oceanography

Apart from the ones mentioned above, there are several other careers in oceanography that present numerous job opportunities for young aspirants. Some of these include;

Ocean Engineer
Ocean engineering is a branch of oceanography that deals with development of sensitive instruments for measuring the physical, geological and chemical components of ocean. Ocean engineer is also involved with the construction and maintenance of structures in ocean.

Marine Archaeologist
Marine archaeologist excavates various sites in ocean bed, that show a possibility of past human civilization. He also procures material evidences from these sites. Besides, he is also involved with study of ship wreckages and similar sites.

Fisheries Scientist
He deals with various techniques of harvesting sea food, without damaging marine ecology. He also comes up with newer ways of fish farming. Besides, he studies the species of fish on the verge of extinction and devises strategies to revive them.

If you wish to enter any of the above mentioned fields, prepare yourself to face fierce competition as there are only a few openings and thousands of qualified candidates. Hope this article was resourceful.