Maths, Physics
and Chemistry in
Oceanography
There is a wide range of opportunities open to those who
study mathematics, physics and chemistry. Choosing one of these three
subjects, taken to degree or postgraduate level, will offer the
prospects of careers ranging from academia to zymurgy (the branch of
chemistry concerned with fermentation processes in brewing!). In
oceanography, the majority of jobs currently available are filled by
people from mathematics, physics or chemistry backgrounds, sometimes as
joint honours degrees with oceanography. There are also opportunities
for graduates in biology, marine biology, biochemistry, zoology, geology
and geophysics, but these subjects are discussed elsewhere on the
website.
Oceanographers seek to
understand the physical and chemical processes of the oceans. They
measure parameters such as temperature, salinity, current speed, gas
fluxes, chemical components, and even the age of the water. Collecting
data can mean spending six or seven weeks at sea, and then working on
the data back at the lab, but often you might work from shore using data
collected by others, or by remote sensing satellite, instrumented buoy
or a free-drifting survey instrument. Soon the new generation of
autonomous underwater vehicles such as robots such as "Autosub" will be available to gather
routine oceanographic information, but for the foreseeable future there
will be a need for most oceanographers to go to sea on ships such as RRS
Discovery.
In recent years there has been growth in
oceanographic exploration, largely driven by the requirements of the
World Climate Research Programme. This is because oceans play an
important role in the regulation of our planet's climate, and
understanding the oceans enables better predictions of climate change,
global warming and sea level rise. It is therefore no surprise to learn
that some oceanographers come from meteorological backgrounds. In the
first decade of the twenty-first century, projects such as CLIVAR, GOOS and Argo
will continue to employ the skills of physical and chemical
oceanographers.
Most laboratories use multi-disciplinary teams; for
example at Southampton Oceanography Centre, there are four research
divisions – ocean circulation
and climate, ocean processes, seafloor
processes and ocean technology. Each of these divisions has scientists
from a range of degree disciplines, e.g. Ocean Processes team has
biologists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians and computer modellers.
Work is international in outlook, funding, staffing
and publication of results, so oceanographers can expect to travel
widely and, at the very least, to work alongside colleagues from many
nations.
Computer modellers are now an essential part of
research teams, as they help to organise the observed data into computer
simulations of the ocean/atmosphere system. In the future it is likely
that virtual reality techniques will come into increased use as a
visualisation tool for oceanographers.
In the private sector, oceanographers might work on
the prediction of extreme sea conditions for offshore oil and gas
platform designers. They look at pollution, both as chemists and as
computer modellers, helping to predict the path that an oil slick may
take. Opportunities can be found in the various ocean industries, port
and harbour authorities, civil engineering firms, and also with the
manufacturers of ocean instrumentation. In the public sector, there are
opportunities such as the universities, research councils, defence
research, meteorology offices, civil service, planning authorities,
international organisations, and so on. In addition to these, there are
the various pressure groups and charities who need oceanographic
expertise – and of course you can study the subject simply out of
interest.
Oceanographic vacancies in both the public and
private sector can be hard to find. The competition is high quality,
and contracts tend to be short, rarely over five years in duration, so
young oceanographers may find that they move around a great deal in the
first ten or so years of their careers. However, these moves should be
seen as opportunities to widen experience and gain international
reputations. In the long run you will probably need to gain a doctorate
in order to secure a permanent post.
Entry qualifications are high, a first or upper
second class honours degree in mathematics, physics or chemistry with a
Master's degree in oceanography are typical of recruits these days. You
could study oceanography as a first degree, but it
is prudent to take it as joint honours with mathematics, physics or
chemistry to ensure that basic scientific knowledge is at a high enough
level. You must have a good understanding of computing and, if possible,
have an understanding of a foreign language or two. If you are still at
school, aim for high grades; competition for posts is tough enough that
even the grades you gained at school are looked at. For A-level or
equivalent, you must do a combination that includes mathematics, physics
and one other science, or computing/technology.
March 2002
For more information on typical companies, see our
current list of
corporate members and please use the search engine provided for
areas of interest.
Further Information:
For further information you should check out the
web pages of the various research laboratories. A good start
is to check out Southampton Oceanography Centre,
www.soc.soton.ac.uk. From there, you will find links across the globe. Periodicals worth
reading are New Scientist and Nature, as both contain regular oceanographic
features and advertise job vacancies.
There are many excellent textbooks available, for
example the Open University publishes a very well regarded selection of
oceanographic books. A useful introductory book is Oceanography:
An Illustrated Guide by C P Summerhayes and S A Thorpe, published by
Manson, London, ISBN 1-874545-38-3 (hardback) ISBN 1-874545-37-5
(paperback).
Organisations:
In England and Wales, the Challenger Society for Marine Science is the
main learned society for professional oceanographers, and is also a
founding member of the European Federation of Marine Science Societies.
Oceanographers are often members of the
learned society relevant to
their specialist area, such as the Institute of Physics (www.iop.org),
or the Royal Meteorological Society (www.rmets.org/index.php)
where there is a great deal of overlap between the two disciplines.
|
