Marine Biology: The Ocean is The Office Here?

Answer 1

Marine Biology is a branch of the broad field of oceanography - as well as biology - and is the study of marine (oceanic) organisms that includes plants and animals. A marine biologist is a professional who studies one or more (sometimes even dozens) of aquatic species native to various oceans, estuaries, and bays. Usually, marine biologists specialize in specific niches in marine biology such as marine wildlife preservation, microbiology (zooplankton, amoeba, etc.), ichthyology (fish), fishery, marine mammalogy, invertebrate zoology and many more specializations.

Job Description

Despite common belief among younger people, most marine biologists does not typically work with or study only big mammals such as whales and dolphins; however, a marine zoologist may choose to concentrate on mammals. Other marine biologists usually study different groups of animals according to their scientific classification. A few examples of what real-life marine biologists do include:

&Analyzes populations and helps preserve protected and/or endangered marine species

&Studies microorganisms - such as plankton, phytoplankton, and amoeba - and interprets their importance to the marine ecosystem

&Work at various aquariums as educators and/or scientists

&Work at various research institutions and locations both in the lab and in the field - especially those affiliated with the biology departments of many universities

Students who want to pursue a career in marine biology should realize that most job titles, while directly related to marine biology, are not specifically labeled marine biologist. Zoologists, mammalogists, biological oceanographers, and marine conservationists are, hence, more representative of terms for real-life marine biologists.

Education and Salary for Marine Biologists

Most marine biologists obtain a bachelor's degree in biology, zoology, oceanography, fishery, or biological oceanography. Consequently, most of them go further to acquire a master's degree or PhD in one or more of the formerly mentioned subjects (plus others) - depending on the university or accredited learning institution.

Candidates for this field should have a fond passion for the ocean and preserving life within it - especially because many of the jobs within the broad field of marine biology do not pay that well in relation to the amount of education that's needed. For example, a newly-hired marine biologists researcher or professor/educator can expect to earn around $40,000 to $45,000. Those with highly advanced degrees, a PhD or doctorate to be specific, can look forward to salaries of up to about $80,000 per year.

While those figures are not very competitive with other comparable jobs' salaries with similar levels of education, there are many perks. Many MB's get to travel the world and to exotic places to conduct research. Many, if not most, marine biologists are licensed Scuba divers. Furthermore, marine biologists love their work much more than people in other careers because they know that they are making a significant contribution to the planet.