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Anderson, Aubrey L.Questions about Careers in Oceanography.Texas A and M Univ., College Station. Sea Grant Coll.Program.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(DOC), Rockville, Md. National Sea Grant Program.TAMU-3G-87-401Jan 87NA85AA-D-SG12823p.; Photographs may not reproduce well.Marine Information Service, Sea Grant CollegeProgram, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843-4115 (single copies free while supply lasts,quantity $.29 each).Reports Descriptive (141)

MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS.Career Awareness; *Careers; *College Science; HigherEducation; *Marine Biology; Marine Technicians;Occupational Information; *Ocean Engineering;*Oceanography; *Science Careers; Science Education;Secondary Education; Secondary School Science

IDENTIFIERS Sea Grant Program

ABSTRACTKnowing the relationship of the ocean to man, the

weather and climate, availability of resources from the ocean, use ofthe ocean in transporation, waste disposal, and defense, anddeveloping an understanding of the impact on the oceans of humanactivity are all goals of oceanographers. The goal of this brochureis to provide concise informative answers to questions that educationand information sources are often called upon to answer. The titlewas chosen to avoid confusion with other publications and to reflectthe presentation format. The following questions are addressed: (1)"What Is an Oceanographer?"; (2) "Where Does One StudyOceanography?"; (3) "Who Hires Oceanographers?"; (4) "Who SupportsOceanographers?"; and (5) "Where Does One Obtain Information?" Listedare the names and addresses of publications and the 31 sea grantinstitutions which are additional sources of information aboutoceanography, ocean research and career opportunities. (RT)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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Questions aboutCareers in Oceanography

U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOnce oI Educational Researct, and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

Pfhis document has been reproduced asreceived fr-m the person o. organizationoriginating it

O Minor changes hive been made to improvereproduction Quality

Points of view or opinions Stated in this docu-ment do not necessarily represent officialOEM posil,on or POliCy

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLYHAS BEEN GRANTED BY

Amy -BrOUS5CtS.

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

Marine Education

Aubrey L. AndersonDepartment of Oceanography

87-401

2

Questions aboutCareers in Oceanography

byAubrey L. Anderson

Department of OceanographyTuxas A&M University

TAMU-SG-87-401January 1987

This publication was partially supported through Institutional

Grant No. NA85AA-D-SG128 to Texas A&M University by the

Office of Sea Grant, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-

ministration, Department of Commerce

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Aside

The forerunner to this brochure, Careers inOceanography, was written by RobertB. Abeland published in May 1979. Dr. Abel establishedthe useful style of addressing several frequentlyencountered questions about careers in ocean-ography. This style of presentation is adopted inthe present rewrite. The goal of this brochure isto provide concise but informativeanswers tothose questions that educationand informationsources are often called upon to answer. Thepresent title was chosen to reflect thepresenta-tion format and to avoid confusion with otherrecent publications.

The brochure is directed to highschoolstudents, teachers and guidance counselors,and to college students with questions aboutcareers in oceanography. The following ques-tions, repeated from the originalbrochure, tireaddressed--

What is an oceanographer?Where does one study oceanography?Who hires oceanographers?Who supports oceanographers?Where does one obtain information?

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What Is an Oceanographer?

Today, "Oceanographer" is a term that is usual-ly understood to include ocean scientists, oceanengineers and ocean technicians.

Ocean scientists investigate how the oceanswork. They usually have a graduate education inoceanography, but have studied one of the fun-damental science fields at the undergraduatelevel, such as physics, chemistry, biology or geol-ogy. Ocean scientists take measurements andsamples at sea, obtain "remote sensing" datafrom artificial earth satellites, perform laboratorymeasurements on samples, and conduct labora-tory experiments, analyze data and perform sim-ulations of ocean phenomena with numericalmodels on computers. The recognized subfieldsof oceanography are physical oceanography,chemical oceanography, biological oceprogra-phy, and geological and genphysirP! oceanogra-phy.

Physical oceanographers are concerned withthe water masses and currents of the ocean,how the water masses are formed, and the driv-ing forces that energize and shape the water's

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motion as currents or undulating waves. Theystudy the interaction of many various forms ofenergy with the sea: light, radar heat, sound andwind. They are interested in the interaction be-tween the ocean and atmosphere, and the rela-tionship between the sea, weather and climate.

Chemical ceanographers are interested in tnedistribution of chemical compounds and themany chemical interactions that occur in theocean and the seafloor. The interactions amongthe sun's energy, atmospheric compounds,dissolved and suspended oceanic organic andinorganic material, sealife and the seafloor arestudied. Also investigated is the impact onoceanic chemistry of both natural substances(such as natural seafloor petroleum seeps) andman-made material (such as waste or pollution).

Biological oceanographers seek to describethe many diverse forms of life in the sea, thepatterns in their population densities and in theirnatural environment. They strive to understandhow these animals and plants exist in complexinterrelationships with other sea life, organic andinorganic substances, and energy and sourcesof energy in the seawater and seafloor. Also ofinterest is the impact of human modification ofthe environment on these living oceanic com-munities.

Geological and geophysical oceanographersdescribe the shape and material of the seafloor.They seek to understand the origin of seafloorsediments and rocks and the causes for the pat-terns in which they exist. These oceanographersattempt to relate their observations to phenom-ena as diverse as tha movement of suspendedsediment by currents in the ocean waters, thecreation of new seafloor at midocean ridges andmovement of vast plates of seafloor material andcontinents over millions of years, and to modifica-tion of the seafloor by biological processes andchemical interactions as well as pressure andheat.

As implied in these thumbnail sketches, theocean scientist seldom exists in isolation, know-ing and working only in a narrow specialty. Ocean-ographers are specialists--they must be becauseof the vast diversity of subjects coming underthe umbrella term of oceanography. But almost

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any distribution of substances or properties, anymode -xistence of a lifeform, ally phenom-enon or reaction occurring in the ocean is closelyrelated to, or even controlled by, other featuresof the ocean. In order to understand one's ownspecial area of interest, the oceanographer musthave more than a passing knowledge of otherareas of oceanography. Oceanographic studiesusually are interdisciplinary and involve severalocean scientists with different specialities.

Ocean engineers function in several importantroles in oceanography. First, they pursue theirusuai tasks, such as designing a structure, butthe environment in which their design is tc. func-tion is the sea. For example, the designer of atower to stand on the sea floor on the offshorecontinental shelf and support oil well drillingequipment would apply many of the same de-sign procedures that would be used to designsuch a tower to stand on the nearby land. How-

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ever, the engineer designing the ocean-stand-ing structure would be required to incorporateinto the design much additional informationabout ocean currents and resulting structuralforces, saltwater corrosion, marine life roulingand other similar factors. A second role ," oceanengineers is the design of equipment ariu pro-cedures to be used in making oceanographicmeasurements. This work is usually carried outbest in close cooperation with ocean scientists.The ocean engineer today plays a significant roleincorporating the innovative concepts from theforefront of the present explosion of technologyinto oceanographic instrumen'ation. In additionto design activities, ocean engineers are en-gaged directly in research. This is especially truein experimental studies of hydrodynamics and ofseafloor sediment dynamics.

Ocean technicians play a vital role in oceanog-raphy. They are responsible for equipment cali-bration and preparation, measurements andsampling at sea, instrument maintenance andrepair, and data processing. These techniciansnormally have a bachelors degree, althoughsome have associate's degrees resulting fromtwo-year college programs.

Although most oceanographers receive theirinitial training in one of these fields of science orin engineering, many come from other back-grounds such as mathematics or meteorology.The subject of this brochure is oceanography asa car6er, but many other opportunities exist forwork involving the ocean outside the realm ofactivity that is termed "oceanography." Lawyers,people trained in management, social scientists,economists, and experts in recreation, transpor-tation, food, drugs, defense and waste disposalcan and do make worthwhile contributions andpursue meaningful careers involving the ocean.

Additional information about oceanographycareers is available in the brochure Careers inOceanography produced by the AmericanGeophysical Union (AGU). Information about abroader spectrum of marine - related careers isprovided in Ocean Opportunities, a jointpublication of the Marine Technology Society(MTS) and the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE).

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Where Does One StudyOceanography?

Education in ocean science occurs primarily atthe graduate level. Ocean engineering is stud-ied at lxith the graduate and undergraduate lev-els. Careers as ocean scientists virtually requireat least a masters degree, and many opportuni-ties are primarily open to those with doctoral de-grees. Undergraduate preparation for the studyof oceanography is best obtained by pursuingan education in a science field closely related toone of the subfields of oceanography (physics,chemistry, biology, geology, geophysics) or inmeteorology, mathematics or engineering. Thiscan be done at any educational institution withstrong programs in these fields. Degree pro-grams are available for those who prefer to studymarine science at the undergraduate level. A re-cent article (Contemplating Tomorrow's Ocean-ographers in the October 1985 issue of SeaTechnology) states that nearly 80 schools na-tionwide offer undergraduate degrees in marinescience The article points out, however, thatmost of these degree programs are restricted inscope, with the majority focused on estuarineand intertidal biology. Two institutions with under-graduate programs of somewhat broader scopeare the University of Washington at Seattle andTexas A&M University at Galveston. Individualcourses in oceanographic subjects are offered atmany universities, including those offeringoceanography graduate degree programs.

The Sea Technology article goes on to saythat about 50 institutions in the United Statesoffer doctoral degrees in "various oceanographicdisciplines." Ten of the largest U.S. oceanogra-phic institutions form the Joint OceanographicInstitutions, Inc. These institutions are Universityof Hawaii, Lamont-Doherty Geological Observa-tory of Columbia University, University of Miami,Oregon State University, University of RhodeIsland, Scripps Institution of Oceanography ofthe University of California, Texas A&M Univer-sity, The University of Texas Institute for Geo-physics, University of Washington and Woods

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Hole Oceanographic Institution. Most of theseoffer degree programs leading to masters anddoctoral degrees in all of the subfields of ocean-ography, including ocean engineering.

These ten educational and research institu-tions are also members of the University NationalOceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS),which also has seven other member institutions.The names and addresses of these additionalmember institutions, and those of 31 associatemembers of UNOLS, can be found in the pre-viously mentioned Careers in Oceanogra-phy available from th4 tGU. An even moreextensive list of schools offering courses ofstudy in oceanography is provided in the bro-chure Ocean Opportunities available fromIEEE or MTS. Detailed information about the de-gree programs for many of these schools also isprovided in University Curricula in Ocean-ocraphy and Re:ated Fields available frcmthe U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office.

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Who Hires Oceanographers?

Oceanogr'phers work for the federal govern-ment, for private industry and for universities.They work in research, education, problem solv-ing, and regulatory and administrative roles.Between 1976 and 1984, the average annualgrowth rate for ocean science and engineeringemployment was between five and ten percent.The most significant recent development in em-ployment of oceanographers is relaf-d to thedramatic reduction in overall petroleum industryactivity. A significant fraction of geological andgeophysical oceanography graduates have typ-ically found employment in this industry. Mostprojections indicate a continuing short-term low-er employment in this industry, but better long-term opportunities when the exploration for anddevelopment of more difficult petroleum sourcesresumes. An over-supply of biological oceanog-raphers in the last few years has been partiallyovercome by reduced enrollment in educationalprograms in this field.

Although there is no single source of informa-tion about employment opportunities in ocean-ography, there are a few sources that providesuch information across a wide portion of thespectrum of opportunities. The American Geo-physical Union publishes a weekly newspaper,Eos, that includes advertisements of employ-ment opportunities, particularly in governmentand universities. Several technical journals carrysimilar advertisements. Many manufacturingcompanies with significant interest in the oceansadvertise in Sea Technology, and readingrecent editions of this magazine can provide in-formation on those manufacturers who are cur-rently active in the field. Other manufacturer sand consulting firms and universities who arepotential employers are listed among the corpoate sponsors of the Marine Technology Society,and their names are listed in each issue of theSociety's Journal.

Within the federal government, agencies thatemploy oceanographers include:

Depa tment of Energy

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Minerals Management Service andU.S. Geological Survey (Depa rient of

the Interior)National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-

ministration (Department of Commerce)Naval Oceanographic Office, the Naval

Ocean Research and Development Ac-tivity, and the Office of Naval Research(Department of the Navy)

Nationa: Science FoundationUniversity Curricula in Oceanography

and Related Fields lists 134 universities andcolleges that offer courses or degree programsin oceanography. Each is a potential employerof oceanographers with graduate degrees aseducators. In addition to employing faculty mem-bers, many of these institutions, especially thosewith graduate programs, are possble empliy-ers of scientists wanting to engage in oceanogra-phic research.

Who SupportsOceanographers?

Several of the organizations that supportoceanography and oceanographers have beenmentioned already as sources of additional infor-mation. These include the American Geophys-ical Union, the Marine Technology Society andthe Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engin-eers/Oceanic Engineering Society.

There are several periodic meetings spon-sored by one or more of these organizations,often with additional support from other organ-izations, where information about oceanographyis exchanged in the form of technical papers.The AGU, for example, holds two meetings eachyear. The November 4, 1986, edition of Eosincludes 417 pages of abstracts of papers pre-sented at the Fall meeting. The Offshore Tech-nology Conference (OTC) meets annually inHouston, Texas. The OTC is jointly sponsoredby the Marine Technology Society, the OceanicEngineering Society of IEEE and nine otherinstitutes and societies. Both technical presen-

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tations and equipment exhihts are included atOTC meetings. A third major oceanographicexchange meeting is ii le annual Oceans XX Con-ference and Exposition, where the XX in the titlereflects the last two digits of the year of the meet-ing. This series of meetings, which typicallyoccur in the Fall, also is jointly sponsored by theMarine Technology Society and the Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers/Oceanic..Engineering Society.

Two previously mentioned associ .' ,s of thelarger oceanogra- :stitotions are tha JointOceanographic InE....ations, Inc. (JOi) and theUniversity National Oceanographic LaboratorySystem (UNOLS). JOI is a consortium of tahmajor oceanographic institutions that was formedto provide advice and planning expertise foragencies funding oceanographic research. JOIalso is involved in conducting some large ocean-ographic programs, such as serving as managerof the NSF Ocean Drilling Program.

UNOLS ntembership includes the ten i nem-bers of JOI and seven other member and 31associate member institutions. UNOLS is anassociation of institutions that operate majorshared-use facilities, especially the ships of theoceanographic research fleet. A brochure, TheResearch Fleet, The University NationalOceanographic Laboratory System, des-cribes the ships and instruments of the UNOLSfleet and is available from:

UNOLS Office, WB-15School of OceanographyUniversity of WashingtonSeattle, Washington 98195(206) 543-2203

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Where Does One ObtainInformation?

Publications mentioned elsewhere in this bro-chure and other information about oceanogra-phy can be requested from the foil swing:

American Geophysical Union, Code E2000 Florida Avenue NWWashington, D.C. 20009(Careers in Oceanography is available free ofcharge to individuals or in limited quantities to vid-ance counselors and teachers)

Publicity Committee or Membershp CommitteeOceanic Engineering SocietyInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers345 East 47th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10017-2394

Marine Technology SocietySuite 5002000 Florida Avenue NWWashington, D.C. 20009(If ordering Ocean Opportunities, there is a$3.00 postage and handling charge)

Civilian Personnel OfficeNaval Oceanographic OfficeNSTL, Miss. 39522-5000(University Curricula in Oceanographyand Related Fields is available without chargeto guidance counselors or teachers white existingsupplies last.)

Sea TechnologyCompass Publications. IncSuite 10001117 N. 19th StreetArlington, Va. 22209

Sea Grant Program Offices

The 31 Sea Grant institutions also are sourcesof information about oceanography, ocean re-search and career opportunities. Inquiriessho:ild be directed to the publications office atthe following addresses:

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Alaska Sea Grant College Program590 University Avenue, Suite 102University of AlaskaFairbanks, Alaska 99709.1046

California Sea Grant College ProgramUniversity of California A-032La Jolla, Calif. 92093

University of Southern California Sea Grant ProgramInstitute for Marine and Coastal StudiesUniversity ParkLos Angeles, Calif. 90089-0341

University of ConnecticutMarine Advisory ServiceBuilding 24, Room 110Avery PointGroton, Conn. 06340

Delaware Sea Grant College ProgramCollege of Marine StudiesUniversity of DelawareNewark, Del. 19711

Florida Sea Grant College ProgramG022 McCarty HallUniversity of FloridaGainesville, Fla. 32611

Georgia Sea Grant College ProgramEcology BuildingUniversity of GeorgiaAthens, Ga. 30602

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.416,":.C

Hawaii Sea Grant College ProgramUniversity of Hawaii1000 Pope Road, Room 201Honolulu, Ha. 96822

Illinois /Indiana Sea Grar , ProgramUniversity of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign1301 W. Gregory Drive51 Mumford HallUrbana, III. 61801

Louisiana Sea Grant College ProgramCenter for Wetland ResourcesLouisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge, La. 70803

Maine Sea Grant ProgramMarine Advisory Program30 oburn HallUniversity of MaineOrono, Me. 04469

Maryland Sea Grant College ProgramH.J. Patterson HallUniversity of MarylandCollege Park, Md. 20742

Sea Grant College ProgramMassachusetts Insitute of TechnologyE38 -332Cambridge, Mass. 02139

Woods Hole Sea Grant ProgramWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods Hole, Mass. 02543

Michigan Sea Grant ProgramUniversity of Michigan2200 Bonisteel BoulevardAnn Arbor, Mich. 48109-1138

Minnesota Sea Grant Program116 COB1994 Buford AvenueSt. Paul, Minn. 55108

Mississippi/Alabama Sea. Grant ConsortiumCaylor BuildingGulf Coast Research LaboratoryOcean Springs, Miss. 39564

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New Hampshire SeE....irant ProgramMarine Program BuildingUniversity of New hampshireDurham, N.H. 03824

New Jersey Marine Science ConsortiumSea Grant ProgramBuilding 22Fort Hancock, N.J. 07732

New York Sea Grant College Program411 State StreetAlbany, N.Y. 12246

North Carolina Sea Grart College ProgramBox 8605North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, N.C. 27695-8605

Ohio Sea Grant ProgramThe Ohio State University484 West Twelfth Avenue

Columbus, Ohio 43210

Oregon Sea Grant College ProgramADS A418Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, Ore. 97331

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Puerto Rico Sea Grant ProgramDepartment of Marine SciencesUniversity of Peurto RicoMayaguez, P.R. 00708

Rhode Island Sea Grant College ProgramMarine Advisory ServiceUniversity of Rhode IslandNarragansett, R.I. 02882

South Carolina Sea Grant Consort.um207 Meeting StreetCharleston, S.C. 29401

Texas Sea Grant College ProgramTexas A&M UniversityCollege Station, Tex. 77843-4115

Virginia Sea Grant College ProgramVirginia Institute of Marine SciencesGloucester Point, Va. 23062

Washington Sea Grant College ProgramUniversity of Washington3716 Brooklyn Avenue NESeattle, Wash. 98105

Wisconsin Sea Grant InstituteUniversity of Wisconsin1800 University AvenueMadison, Wisc. 53705

National Sea Grant College ProgramOffice of Sea Grant6010 Executive BoulevardRockville, Md. 28052

New England Marine Advisory ServiceUniversity of Rhode IslandNarragansett Bay Campus74 Lower College RoadNarragansett, R.I. 02882

National Sea Grant DepositoryPell LibraryUniversity of Rhode IslandBay CampusNarragansett, RI 02882

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Degree Programs

Information about educational opportunitiescan be obtained from those institutions that offerdegree programs in the field. The ten JOI institu-tions are listed below. Addresses for other insti-tutions are available from brochures from AGU,IEEE, MTS and the Naval Oceanographic Office.

Marine ProgramsUniversity cf Hawaii at ManoaHonolulu, Ha. 96822

Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatoryof Columbia UniversityPalisades, N.Y. 10964

Rosensteil School of Marine and AtmosphericSciencesUniversity of MiamiMiami, Fla. 33149

School of Oceanography orSchool of EngineeringOregon State UniversityCorvallis, Ore. 97331

Graduate School of OcearographyNarragansett Bay CampusUniversity of Rhode IslandNarragansett, R.I. 028132orDepartment of Ocean EngineeringUniversity of Rhode IslandKingston, R.I. 02881

Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the Universityof CaliforniaLa Jolla, Calif. 92093

Department of Oceanography orOcean Engineering ProgramDepartment of Civil EngirlringTexas A&M UniversityCollege Station, Tex. 77843

Institute for Geophysics orDepartment of Marine StudiesCollege of EngineeringThe University of Texas at AustinAustin, Tex. 78712

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School of Oceanography orOcean Engineering ProgramUniversity of WashingtonSeattle, Wash. 98195

Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods Hole. Mass. 02543

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Conclus'3n

It has been suggested that the purpose ofscience is "to know." It is certainly true that amajor purpose of oceanography is to describeand understand the world's oceans. New dis-coveries and ideas have recently come fromoceanographers at an accelerating pace. Newtechnologies make it possible to measure ocean-ographic parameters on time and space scalesnot previously available.

Knowledge of the relationship of the ocean tomankind, the weather and climate; availability ofresources from the ocean; and use of the oceanin transportation, defense, and even waste dis-posal are all goals of oceanographers as is devel-opment of an understanding of the impact onthe oceans of human activity. Wtr.i is the relation-ship tietween ocean events, such as El Nino,and worldwide weather patterns? Is world climatewarming as a result of the "greenhouse effect,"and what is the role of the oceans in relation toatmospheric gases that control this effect? Whatnew foods, drugs and mineral resources canmankind extract from the oceans? How can ournation better use the oceans in our nationaldefense, and how can all nations better use thetransportation and resource potential of theoceans to promote peace and human welfare?How can we ensure optimum use of the oceanswhile minimizing harm to them?

These are questions that will not be answeredin this publication. Their answers await the ener-getic efforts of a talented new generation ofoceanographers.

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About the Author

Dr. Anderson is a professor of physical oceanogra-phy at Texas A&M University. He was educated inphysics at Baylor University and in engineering acous-tics at The University of Texas at Austin.

Prior to his present appointment, Dr. Andersonworked as a research scientists for twelve years attne Applied Research Laboratories of The Universityof Texas and for ten years in several research andadministrative capacities at U.S. Navy laboratories,including the Naval Ocean Research and Devleop-ment Activity and the Office of Naval Research.

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Single copies free from:Marine Information Service TAMU-S43-87-401Sea Grant College Program 10M January 1987Texas A&M University NA85AA-D-SG128College Station, Texas 77843-4115 A/1-1

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