Chemical+Oceanography-+Alicia

**Chemical Oceanographer** The ocean has been referred to as a "chemical soup" because it contains many chemical compounds, elements, gases, minerals, and organic matter. The chemical oceanographer studies the chemical reactions that happen within the Earth’s oceans. The ocean interestingly enough contains a little bit of almost every element on the Earth that is known. The oceanographer also studies the isotopes which they can use as tracers of past and present climatic processes such as soil shifting. The chemical oceanographer can specialize in one of the following study areas: formation of seawater and seafloor sediments, relationships between chemical compounds, how chemical inputs to the ocean (including pollution) affect it, and how the chemistry of the ocean is affected by biological, geological, and physical factors. Pollution is a popular study for these scientists.
 * Job Description: **

Like most people that get into oceanography, the person most get a PhD or a Master’s Degree to get any sort of job in this highly competitive career. Before getting their masters the soon-to-be oceanographer most first get a Bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, geology, physics, or engineering. It takes about 4 years for your bachelor degree than another 1-3 years for your master’s degree. If you are hoping for a PhD, then that is yet another 4-5 years. The chemical oceanographer will throughout their learning career study into the mathematics, physics, and chemistry classes much more than many other careers. Beyond the classroom the chemical oceanographer will be trained in field work and how to collect accurate data.
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Beginning Wage is around $23.00 an hour and a chemical oceanographer can work up to $42.30 an hour. Earnings vary depending on amount of education, location, and the employer. In general, people in this field can earn anywhere from about $40,000 to more than $150,000 a year. The median annual salary for geoscientists, including oceanographers, is about $83,000. Oceanographers working for the federal government earn an average salary of about $106,000 a year.
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A lot of the chemical oceanographer’s time is spent doing research and writing up reports in labs and offices. The fieldwork takes place over periods of time. Oceanographers spend up to 3 months at sea sometimes. They work together with scientists from different specialties aboard research craft which may be either above or below water. When they return to land oceanographers write research proposals to get funding for more expeditions. This can be stressful as their opportunities for advancement and raises depend on their ability to acquire funding for their research. Opportunities for oceanographers are expected to grow as fast as the average through the year 2012. Many job openings will result from workers in the field who retire. However, a lack of funding for work in the federal and state governments and other organizations will affect oceanographers. These jobs may require teaching, training, or doing the actual research.
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 * Tools of the Trade: **
 * Standard Thermometer**: measures temperature in degrees.
 * Bucket Thermometer**: measures temperature in degrees at surface.
 * Reversing Thermometer**:
 * Chemical Test Kit**: operates by a chemical titration with a water sample
 * Dissolved Oxygen Probe**
 * Secchi Disk**: measures visibility
 * Hydrometer Set**: measures salinity in parts per thousand (o/oo).
 * Salinometer**
 * pH Meter**: fast and easy way to take the pH level electronically
 * Dye:** to stain the water to watch its movement
 * Drift Bottles**: measures drift current
 * Fathometer**: measures depth in meters or feet
 * Surveying Equipment**
 * Sounder:** measures depth
 * pH Test Strips**: measures the pH level by color variation

Check into universities for job availability or check science industries or research labs if they are in need of an chemical oceanographer.
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