Hydrologist

Career as Hydrologists involves studying the movement, distribution and quality of water that is available on the earth and also below the earth's surface. In simple words, hydrology is the 'study of water' - its composition and its effect on living things. Water is the important natural resource. It is the most important resource for survival of living things.

However, today, water is getting polluted because of chemical wastes and other pollutants. So, the science of hydrology is evolved to understand complex problems related to water and save the water from contamination. Thus, main job of a hydrologist is to find solutions for problems related to water.

Tasks:-
Hydrologists apply the mathematical knowledge and scientific principles to solve the problems related to water. They work for water conservation. The hydrologist job mainly consists of research work to study the quality of water. The tasks also differ according to specialization of hydrologists.

They may specialize in various disciplines like:-

Surface hydrologists study the relationship between water (from precipitation) and the runoff. They also study the relationship between the surface water and groundwater. In the career as a hydrologist, the study of surface hydrology is important because the quality of runoff water may affect the water used for drinking and the relationship of rainfall and runoff may help to predict floods.

Hydro meteorologists study how the water conditions will affect the weather and vice versa. Hydrometeorology is the study of both the science; the hydrology and meteorology.
Hydro geologists study the underground water, how it flows and the hydrological cycle.
Chemical hydrologists study the chemical composition of water. It is widely used in drinking water testing.

Qualification:-
Generally, a bachelor's degree in hydrology or related subjects is enough to become a hydrologist. However, most of the times a master's degree is acceptable. Mostly, to work for conservation agencies or consulting firm and to become research scientist a master's degree in hydrology is essential. However, a Ph.D. is required for research positions or teaching jobs.

The students interested in hydrology can take courses in subjects like geology, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soil science, forestry, and agricultural engineering and civil engineering. Those who are involved in saltwater preservation projects will need knowledge of oceanography.

Other necessary skills:-
The skills needed for a hydrologist job are as follows:-

Good oral and written communication skills because they have to write technical reports and communicate it to developers or engineers.
They mostly work as a team with other scientists, engineers and technicians and so must have good interpersonal skills.
Computer knowledge
Logical, analytical and problem solving skills
Decision making skill
The research work involves fieldwork and extensive traveling, so physical stamina is necessary.

Work place:-
In a career as a Hydrologist, these experts mainly work in offices or else have to carry out fieldwork .They mainly spend their career in Field work and in laboratories which mostly requires long working hours. They have to carry out research to predict rainfall, occurrence of floods, etc. Hydrologists have to work in all types of climates and have to travel extensively.

Job Opportunities:-
In a career of a hydrologist, they have to work as consultants for developers, government bodies, engineers and scientists. They work in a number of industries like utilities, professional, scientific and educational services, and federal, state and local government.

Related Occupation:-
The career as a hydrologist might have similar occupations like:-

Biological scientists
Aquatic chemistry scientist
Civil engineers
Environmental engineers
Climatology
Oceanographer
Hydraulic engineers

Remuneration:-
The average annual salary of a hydrologist varies depending on the company, place of work, experience and other factors. Some employers provide performance based pay schemes. The entry-level hydrologists with a bachelor's degree in hydrology or related subjects might receive lower wages. After they gain experience, the salary increases but it also depends on their research work. Add more..

Job Progress:-
In a career as a hydrologist, they first have to mostly perform fieldwork. They begin their career as a research assistant or technician in laboratories or offices. Some of them might handle difficult assignments after they gain experience .While some of them with years of experience may become managers and spend more time in office work. Add more here:

Employment:-
Employment for hydrologists is expected to grow faster than the average of all occupations. With the increase in population, the importance to protect the quality of water and save the available water will increase. Therefore, the demand for career as a hydrologist will increase in coming years. As the need to protect the natural resources like water will increase the need to study hydrology will increase, more employment in this profession will get generated.

Consulting firms are expected to take more number of hydrologists to help business issues related to hazardous waste management activities.