The profession may be entered with a Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctoral degree -- the more advanced the degree, the greater the level of responsibility for initiating, designing, and executing a scientific research project. A degree in oceanography can also serve as a background for a career in teaching, administration, marine affairs, environmental studies, production, inspection, computing, instrumentation development, and statistical analysis.

Most oceanographers are employed in educational and research institutions. Another large percentage is employed by federal government agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Naval Research, U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Coast Guard, and National Marine Fisheries Service. Other employers include state and local governments in coastal areas and independent consulting firms doing research for private companies and government agencies. Additional positions are available in research and development for companies extracting and harvesting the ocean's resources.

An oceanographer's duties are diverse, dictated by the nature of the profession. Data are most often collected at sea or from inland waters, but are usually processed and analyzed in laboratories and offices, often involving the use of highly-specialized instruments and computers. Oceanographers experience the exhilaration and rigors of new discoveries made at sea, and return to home port for months of data processing, computer programming, analysis, writing, budgeting, planning, and conferring. The work is both rewarding and tedious, fascinating and frustrating. Reports and scientific papers must be written. Proposals need to be prepared to obtain funding for the next phase of the research. Instruments require adjustment and redesign. Funds need to be budgeted and accounted for. The next scientific cruise must be planned and organized. Deadlines are constant. The hours can be long and irregular. An example is a recent 24-day oceanographic cruise which sailed from Panama to look at the relationship of the cycling of carbon and trace metals and biological productivity in the upper ocean. It included two equator crossings and an excursion to the Galapagos Islands. Plankton and chemical samples were collected at four stations. Six oceanographers will work at least nine months on the data processing, chemical analysis, and publication preparation to produce the final results.

Career opportunities are open to both women and men. Eighty-six percent of our recent graduates are employed in oceanography or related fields, or are pursuing graduate studies. As most oceanographers are employed in the public sector, pay scales reflect current compensation rates for scientists.

Oceanographers often travel around the world as part of their research or its dissemination. They express a high degree of job satisfaction.

RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE AS VARIED AS AN OCEANOGRAPHER'S RESPONSIBILITIES. DURING A LIFE-TIME CAREER ONE WILL BE INVOLVED IN MANY DIFFERENT PROJECTS, OFTEN SEVERAL SIMULTANEOUSLY. AN OCEANOGRAPHER MAY BE CALLED UPON TO:

• Examine the effects of pollutants on marine life
• Analyze volcanological data from actively spreading mid-ocean ridges
• Assess the feasibility of mineral and chemical extraction from the ocean
• Explore the microbiology of hydrothermal vents in a deep-sea submersible
• Relate the upper-ocean heat layers to climate variability
• Predict dispersion patterns for a proposed effluent discharge system
• Search for environmental technology to remove toxic contaminants
• Monitor water quality in Puget Sound
• Study paleoclimate variation by calibrating coral reef geochemical tracers
• Establish baseline sediment dispersal in the Amazon River Delta
• Create a computer model of conditions affecting zooplankton abundances
• Interpret phytoplankton pigment variation from satellite data
• Conduct seismic experiments on plate boundaries
• Research the effects of development on beaches, bays, and estuaries
• Investigate the cycling of carbon in the Amazon River
• Develop mathematical models of feeding strategies of benthic animals
• Design in situ probes for monitoring deep-sea hydrothermal vents
• Determine the effects of ice-related erosion on the Great Lakes coastline
• Model numerically a large-scale ocean circulation system
• Utilize satellite imagery to assess formation of ice in the Arctic Ocean
• Investigate the role of toxic diatoms in shellfish poisoning
• Document the role of methane and other gases in global climate change

Additional Sources of Information

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION
INTRODUCTORY OCEANOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS:

• An Introduction to the World's Oceans, by Alyn C. and Alison Duxbury. WCB/McGraw-Hill, 1996.
• Oceanography, A View of the Earth, by M. Grant Gross. Prentice-Hall, 1995.
• Introductory Oceanography, by Harold V. Thurman. Charles Merrill, 1990.

LITERATURE:

• Our Home Planet: A Guide for Secondary School Students. The American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009. No charge.
• Careers in Oceanography and Marine-Related Fields. The Oceanography Society, 4052 Timber Ridge Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455. (804) 464-1759. No charge.
• Information on Undergraduate Programs in or Related to Oceanography and Marine Sciences. North Carolina State University, Department of Marine, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Raleigh, NC 27695-8208. (919) 515-3711. No Charge.
• University Curricula in Oceanography and Related Fields. Marine Technology Society, 1825 K Street N.W., Suite 203, Washington, D.C. 20006.
• Ocean Opportunities: A Guide to What the Oceans Have to Offer. Marine Technology Society, 1825 K Street N.W., Suite 203, Washington, D.C. 20006. $3.00.

CAREER INFORMATION ON THE WEB:

• WHOI K-12 Resource Page
• Careers in Oceanography (ONR)
• ASLO Career Information

PERIODICALS:

• Oceanus. Subscriber Service Center, P.O. Box 6419, Syracuse, NY 13217-6419.
• Sea Frontiers. P.O. Box 498, Mount Morris, IL 61054.
• Nature. Subscription Department, P.O. Box 1733, Riverton, NJ 08077-7333.

BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE:

• Exploring the Sea: Oceanography Today, by Carvel Hall Blair. Random House, 1986.

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON CATALOG:

Copies are available for perusal at public and college libraries, or you may order a copy from: University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 (206-634-3400). Catalogs are $3.75 at the Store, $5.50 for mailing outside Washington State, and $5.92 within Washington. The catalog is also web-accesible from the UW home page.

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