Reports and scientific papers must be written. Proposals need to be prepared to obtain funding for the next phase of the research. Instruments require adjustment and redesign. Funds need to be budgeted and accounted for. The next scientific cruise must be planned and organized.
Deadlines are constant.
The hours can be long and irregular. An example is a recent 24-day oceanographic cruise which sailed from Panama to look at the relationship of the cycling of carbon and trace metals and biological productivity in the upper ocean. It included two equator crossings and an excursion to the Galapagos Islands. Plankton and chemical samples were collected at four stations. Six oceanographers will work at least nine months on the data processing, chemical analysis, and publication preparation to produce the final results.