Imagine it is a bright, warm summer afternoon. A fresh breeze is blowing and the sun is glinting off the waves. You are standing at the rail of a research vessel hundreds of kilometres off the Canadian coastline, taking a break from your work in one of the ship's equipment rooms. You are an oceanographer and you've spent the last three hours directing an underwater vehicle that is gathering data from the ocean floor. You have been aboard this ship sailing the Atlantic Ocean for the past four weeks studying a portion of the ocean floor for a large oil exploration company.
The company intends to build an underwater pipeline and has hired you to help determine the best location for this pipe, where it will be at the least risk of damage from the ocean. As an oceanographer, you gather information for environmental assessments of projects like this pipeline. When first approached about this project, you began by researching existing information on the region of the ocean floor where the pipeline is to be built. Most of the floor has been well mapped, but the maps are several years old now.
Conditions at the ocean's bottom can change quickly, so before a new pipeline can be approved, the maps must be updated and the data kept current. That's why you are part of this research expedition. Your radio-controlled underwater vehicle is equipped with a sonar system to survey the ocean floor and gather data on geological threats such as active fault lines. The vehicle also has a camera on board that will photograph the area and help identify the area's physical and ecological characteristics, including marine life. And while the vehicle is still at the bottom of the ocean, you can direct it to take seawater samples that will be analyzed for the accurate chemical composition of the water in that area of the ocean. All this information will be included in your report to the oil exploration company as to the safest location for its pipeline.
Duties vary significantly from job to job, but the following list includes typical job duties one might encounter as an oceanographer:
If you are a high school student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, you should have a keen interest in:
If you are a post-secondary student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, the following programs are most applicable.
In most cases, the minimum education requirement to work as an environmental geophysicist is a graduate degree. Pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in fields related to environmental geophysics can enhance your expertise, career prospects, and ability to contribute to the field. These advanced degrees offer specialized knowledge and skills highly valued in both the professional and academic worlds.
In many provinces, geophysicists must obtain registration and licensure with their provincial association as a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.). The certification process for geophysicists is similar to that of engineering professions and is typically overseen by the same regulatory body.
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers look for professionals who can combine technical knowledge with soft skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
As key executive leaders who shape their company’s sustainability policy, CSOs work in many different types of organizations. Common employers of CSOs include:
Search for jobs on the ECO Canada Job Board.
If you are a post-secondary student seeking a CSO role in the future, consider pursuing a university degree related to:
In addition to the educational fields mentioned above, you will also need extensive management experience to become a CSO, with well-developed human resources management and leadership skills. Consider educational seminars or post-graduate studies that will hone your analytical thinking, such as:
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers seek professionals who combine technical knowledge with personal and professional skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
My post-secondary education began with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in chemistry. After graduating, I attended a presentation by an oceanographer and it changed my career focus. I soon had a job and plans for my Master's degree in Oceanography. If you want to work in this area, employment as an oceanographer can be found with large oil companies, federal and provincial governments as well as consulting firms. One of my first duties as an oceanographer was principal investigator on coastal environmental surveys. A few years later, I started my own consulting company providing services in coastal environmental sampling, offshore discharge monitoring, occupational hygiene and marine chemist gas inspections of commercial shipping.
My company grew as I gained experience, and twenty years later, my employees bought the company. My twenty-eight years' of experience is a valuable asset and I now work as a consultant for the company I used to own. Ongoing learning and upgrading of skills is a necessity. I take at least two courses a year to re-qualify in specific skill areas and to keep up with technological advances. These courses cover scientific areas and training in computer technology. One other way I stay current is through my work. Many problems are unique and require a scientific investigative approach.
Each new challenge is a learning opportunity. Individuals who are well trained in science and have acquired professional expertise will find great potential in the field of oceanography. The government is moving toward regulating the industry by requiring certain qualifications and designations. People with technical training will find work but advancement may be more limited. Your opportunities will also be linked to your ability to expand business or save costs for the organization you work for. If you like problem-solving, working independently on projects and the ocean environment then consider oceanography as a career.
There are exciting projects that require professional skills and commitment from talented people. I am proposing a new oil spill analysis project that will sample oil from suspect sources and determine where the spill originated. You won’t be bored working as an oceanographer. I have the usual office hours and try to "work smart” instead of putting in longer days to get the job done. That being said, I sometimes go offshore and spend many hours working over a two-week period before returning to the office.
Travelling can also take me overseas occasionally. When in the office I have normal office duties such as email, phone, answering co-worker questions, preparing proposals and interpreting data. Communication and computer skills are the two most used abilities on a day-to-day basis. The most valuable thing I can offer the environment is my extensive experience. I have been able to use that knowledge to create a prosperous environmental consulting company. My new focus is on training others to understand environmental issues as well as finding solutions to unique problems. Maybe something I do will influence the career direction of a future oceanographer.
Marine geologists are classified into the following occupational grouping:
NOC Code: 21102 – Geoscientists and oceanographers
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market. It gives statisticians, labour market analysts, career counsellors, employers, and individual job seekers a consistent way to collect data and describe and understand the nature of work within different occupations.
See ECO’s Blue National Occupational Standard for a career competency profile for a marine geologist that outlines the specific skills, knowledge, and behaviours required for individuals to perform effectively in this particular role. This profile is a benchmark for training and development, ensuring consistency and quality across professions within the blue economy.
Dans un esprit de respect, de réciprocité et de vérité, nous honorons et reconnaissons Moh’kinsstis, le territoire traditionnel du Traité 7 et les pratiques orales de la confédération des Pieds-Noirs : Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, ainsi que les nations Îyâxe Nakoda et Tsuut’ina. Nous reconnaissons que ce territoire abrite la Nation métisse de l’Alberta, la région 3 au sein de la patrie historique des Métis du Nord-Ouest. Enfin, nous reconnaissons toutes les nations qui vivent, travaillent et se divertissent sur ce territoire, et qui l’honorent et le célèbrent.
In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth, we acknowledge that we live, work, and gather on the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, including the Blackfoot Confederacy—comprising the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations—as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina Nations.
This land, known as Moh’kinsstis in the Blackfoot language and encompassing what is now Districts 5 and 6, is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3, within the historical Northwest Métis homeland.
We recognize and honour the deep connection these Nations have to the land, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share in its stewardship.
As we continue our work, we commit to learning from Indigenous knowledge systems, uplifting Indigenous voices, and fostering relationships rooted in equity, understanding, and reconciliation.
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