Such meetings range in size from less than 100 to several thousand, depending on the purpose and subject matter. Because aquatic science is a relatively small discipline with an interdisciplinary focus, there is a strong sense of community. When not in the field or at meetings, research scientists spend a significant amount of time in the laboratory running experiments or at the computer analyzing data or developing models. They also read and evaluate papers from scientific journals and relate that work to their own research, and they write papers describing their own work. They also write research proposals to obtain funds for more research.
Many scientists work together on joint projects.
Those in academia spend time teaching and supervising students. All scientists spend time communicating with colleagues and the general public. Many aquatic scientists have administrative jobs, either with academic institutions or federal or private agencies. These individuals spend more time in the office and communicating with others. Like research scientists, they attend national or international conferences to keep up in their fields.