oceanographer
Oceanographers study and perform research on matters related to the sea and oceans. Oceanographers divide their expertise in different branches of research which are physical oceanographers whose research focus on waves and tides, chemical oceanographers whose study address the chemical constitution of sea waters, and geological oceanographer whose research refers to the bottom of seas and their plaques.
oceanographer oceanographers study and perform research on matters related to the sea and oceans. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include mathematics, physics, oceanography, statistics, geology.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £55,518 a year for Physical scientists (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2114). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only oceanographer, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Frequently asked questions
What does oceanographer do?
Oceanographers study and perform research on matters related to the sea and oceans. Oceanographers divide their expertise in different branches of research which are physical oceanographers whose research focus on waves and tides, chemical oceanographers whose study address the chemical constitution of sea waters, and geological oceanographer whose research refers to the bottom of seas and their plaques.
What skills does oceanographer need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include mathematics, physics, oceanography, statistics, geology, scientific modelling. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace oceanographer?
Our AI-durability model gives oceanographer a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.