Rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastlines are your study sites — investigating how aquatic ecosystems work, what stresses them, and how to protect them. Fieldwork, lab analysis, and the patience of long-term data.
A season might swing between sampling a stream, processing what you collected in the lab, and writing it up at a desk. You track water quality, species, and habitat, often across years before a trend becomes clear. The work follows the water and the weather, not a tidy schedule, and field days can be cold, wet, and long.
The reality is funding and the slow accumulation of evidence — grants shape what you can study, and results rarely arrive fast. Regulatory and compliance contexts can frame the work, especially around contamination or restoration. And the split between academia and applied consulting changes the pace and the pressure considerably, depending where you land.
It tends to suit someone curious, patient, and comfortable outdoors and in the data alike. If you want fast answers or an indoor routine, the conditions and timelines may not fit. But if you care about freshwater and coastal systems — and like applied science with real stakes — the work can be deeply meaningful, season after season.
It's your career.
Take the wheel.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
It's your career.
Take the wheel.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastlines are your study sites — investigating how aquatic ecosystems work, what stresses them, and how to protect them. Fieldwork, lab analysis, and the patience of long-term data.
Median pay for an Aquatic Ecologist is about $74K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $45K to $135K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Writing, Speaking, Active Listening, and Active Listening.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3.9% through 2034, with roughly 110,520 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Agriculture Consultant, Interdisciplinary Environmental Engineer, and Department of Natural Resources Officer (DNR Officer).
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