Careers in Chemistry
Hydrology & Environmental Chemistry
http://courses.wcupa.edu/shorten/env462-533.htm
What is hydrology....and environmental chemistry?
Hydrology is the study of water.
"It is the science that encompasses the occurrence, distribution, movement and properties of the waters of the Earth their relationship with the environment within each phase of the water cycle."
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hydrology.html
"Environmental chemistry is the scientific study of the chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places"
Environmental chemistry is a science that involves both aquatic and soil chemistry. This field frequently involves analytical chemistry.
As an environmental chemist, one might help to determine contaminants and work towards preventing pollution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_chemistry
http://ar.water.usgs.gov/sun/sparta_recovery/images/cuttingSample.JPG
"Hydrologists apply scientific knowledge and mathematical principles to solve water-related problems in society: problems of quantity, quality and availability. They may be concerned with finding water supplies for cities or irrigated farms, or controlling river flooding or soil erosion. Or, they may work in environmental protection: preventing or cleaning up pollution or locating sites for safe disposal of hazardous wastes."
A hydrologist may spend considerable time doing field work in remote and rugged terrain or simply work in a normal office setting
"In the office, hydrologists do many things such as interpreting hydrologic data and performing analyses for determining possible water supplies. Much of their work relies on computers for organizing, summarizing and analyzing masses of data, and for modeling studies such as the prediction of flooding and the consequences of reservoir releases or the effect of leaking underground oil storage tanks"
To become a hydrologist, one must have a strong back ground in chemistry. Along with knowledge of physics, biology and engineering. Hydrology is a great field for chemistry students.
Environmental chemistry is closely related to green chemistry. Green chemistry is the campaign to reduce environmental hazards by recycling and being more energy efficient.
And environmental chemist may work outdoors for a non-profit organization, or in an office setting testing chemical samplings and reactions.
To become an environmental chemist, one should have a strong understanding of chemical sampling, quantitative chemical analysis and general analytical chemistry.
How is chemistry used in these fields?
The following picture is a simple explanation of how science is used to purify water at a wastewater treatment plant.
http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/waterpollution.htm
High performance liquid chromatography is a very important method in testing water and water purification.
"High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a form of column chromatography used frequently in biochemistry and analytical chemistry. It is also sometimes referred to as high-pressure liquid chromatography. HPLC is used to separate components of a mixture by using a variety of chemical interactions between the substance being analyzed and the chromatography column."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPLC
So what kind of jobs are out there for hydrologists and environmental chemists?
This is just one job opening posted in need of a hydrologist. This was found on webpage for the US geological survey.
However, there are numerous jobs available in this field with requirements as simple as obtaining a BA or BS degree in Chemistry.
"Description: Hydrologist,
Salary: $79,665.00 TO $103,568.00
Hiring Agency: Geological Survey"
Hydrologists earn a median of $61,510 per year.
Those with a bachelor's degree earn a starting salary averaging $32,828 per year.
Those with a master's degree earn a starting salary averaging $47,981 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2005 hydrologists working for the federal government in managerial, supervisory, and non-supervisory
positions earned an average of $77,182 per year.
Description: Environmental Chemist
Salary Range: $41687 - $68613
Department: Environment & Natural Resources
Division: Air Quality
Website:
www.enr.state.nc.us/
"The starting salary for a Ph.D. chemist is in the low $50,000-per-year range.
For master's candidates, $40,000 is an average starting salary. Bachelor's
candidates
can earn anywhere from the mid-$20,000s per year to the low $30,000s. An individual going into the regulatory side of environmental chemistry is likely to start out
at a higher salary and continue to be paid more throughout his or her career because these jobs are more high profile and require taking responsibility for a
company's liability. Although the work an analytical chemist does to reduce contamination is important, the chemist-regulator who negotiates a company out of
trouble will receive more recognition and better compensation"
http://pubs.acs.org/chemjobs/jobseeker/articles/job_environ.html
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