There is a wide range of opportunities open to those who study mathematics, physics and chemistry. In oceanography, the majority of jobs currently available are filled by people from mathematics, physics or chemistry backgrounds, sometimes as joint honours degrees with oceanography. There are also opportunities for graduates in biology, marine biology, biochemistry, zoology, geology and geophysics, but these subjects are discussed elsewhere in this pack.
Oceanographers seek to understand the physical and chemical processes of the oceans.
They measure parameters such as temperature, salinity, current speed, gas fluxes, chemical components, and even the age of the water. Collecting data can mean spending six or seven weeks at sea, and then working on the data back at the lab, but often you might work from shore using data collected by others, or by remote sensing satellite, instrumented buoy or a free-drifting survey instrument. In recent years there has been growth in oceanographic exploration, largely driven by the requirements of the World Climate Research Programme. This is because oceans play an important role in the regulation of our planet's climate, and understanding the oceans enables better predictions of climate change, global warming and sea level rise. It is therefore no surprise to learn that some oceanographers come from meteorological backgrounds.