Oceanography deals with the understanding of oceans. It is a multidisciplinary subject that incorporates physics, biology, geology and chemistry. Marine engineering is a part of applied oceanography.
As per the Ministry of Forests it’s compulsory to conduct a study before carrying out any development work. National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) is a scientific body under The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) working on no loss, no profit basis. Headquartered in Goa (established in 1966), the NIO has regional centers in Mumbai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam.
NIO provides consultancy to government and private enterprises. The Mumbai centre has over 400 projects to its credit. It does environmental impact assessment and pollution monitoring. Presently, it has seven scientists and a total staff of 28 plus 36 B.Sc and M.Sc students who work as project assistants. Currently, in Mumbai different scientists are working on physical oceanographic, chemical oceanographic, biological oceanographic and instrumentations. The Ministry of Earth Science has been running a project called COMAPS since 1991. The Mumbai centre takes care of Gujarat and Maharashtra coasts. It involves periodic monitoring of the coastal waters to check the health status of ocean.
The centre recently conducted a survey for the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. Subsequently, various Environmental Management Plans (EMP) were given to the board for execution.
After completing M.Sc aspirants need to qualify in the net exams for an opportunity to do Research and Development leading to the PhD at NIO and all other CSIR labs. CSIR has about 38 labs all over India. The Mumbai centre offers M.Sc and PhD in applied biology and chemistry under the Mumbai University. Reportedly, over 20 PhDs and seven M.Sc by research have been awarded in the last 20 years in Mumbai alone.
From 1950 onwards, the Andhra University at Walter has been the only one offering a degree in Oceanography. Universities like the one in Goa offers a degree in Marine Sciences and the Mumbai University has a course in Marine Zoology.
Summer internships/ dissertation programmes are also offered by NIO. In Goa, on an average, there are approximately 200 students on the campus every year for dissertation projects. Students for summer internships sum up to 100, whereas doctoral students are usually around 75 and project assistants are over 200.
One should have high focus to become a successful oceanographer. Because of environmental and global warming, there is immense career growth for those who have interest in this field. This job gives tremendous satisfaction.
More about → Career in Oceanography
As per the Ministry of Forests it’s compulsory to conduct a study before carrying out any development work. National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) is a scientific body under The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) working on no loss, no profit basis. Headquartered in Goa (established in 1966), the NIO has regional centers in Mumbai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam.
NIO provides consultancy to government and private enterprises. The Mumbai centre has over 400 projects to its credit. It does environmental impact assessment and pollution monitoring. Presently, it has seven scientists and a total staff of 28 plus 36 B.Sc and M.Sc students who work as project assistants. Currently, in Mumbai different scientists are working on physical oceanographic, chemical oceanographic, biological oceanographic and instrumentations. The Ministry of Earth Science has been running a project called COMAPS since 1991. The Mumbai centre takes care of Gujarat and Maharashtra coasts. It involves periodic monitoring of the coastal waters to check the health status of ocean.
The centre recently conducted a survey for the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. Subsequently, various Environmental Management Plans (EMP) were given to the board for execution.
Qualifying for NIO
A student wishing to opt for a career in this field needs to take the CSIR net qualifications exam after graduating with B.Sc with a minimum of 55% marks. After clearing, the net exam he can work as research fellow. But, the maximum duration that one can work for is five years. Advertisements are given in papers and direct recruitment is only taken on temporary basis.After completing M.Sc aspirants need to qualify in the net exams for an opportunity to do Research and Development leading to the PhD at NIO and all other CSIR labs. CSIR has about 38 labs all over India. The Mumbai centre offers M.Sc and PhD in applied biology and chemistry under the Mumbai University. Reportedly, over 20 PhDs and seven M.Sc by research have been awarded in the last 20 years in Mumbai alone.
From 1950 onwards, the Andhra University at Walter has been the only one offering a degree in Oceanography. Universities like the one in Goa offers a degree in Marine Sciences and the Mumbai University has a course in Marine Zoology.
Summer internships/ dissertation programmes are also offered by NIO. In Goa, on an average, there are approximately 200 students on the campus every year for dissertation projects. Students for summer internships sum up to 100, whereas doctoral students are usually around 75 and project assistants are over 200.
Aptitude and Growth
As for the aptitude, an aspiring oceanographer must love the oceans and have a sense of adventure. This is not a cushy job. Therefore, no comfort (extensive field work) but plenty of hard work is needed in this profession. He should be tuned towards research. This profession may not be as lucrative as some others but it’s not badly paid either. Reportedly, the entry level scientist takes home a salary of Rs 30,000 and a research student (PhD) receives a stipend of Rs12000. This is to increase by about two thousand rupees.One should have high focus to become a successful oceanographer. Because of environmental and global warming, there is immense career growth for those who have interest in this field. This job gives tremendous satisfaction.
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