Hydrographer
What the work is
Measures, analyses and maintains the flow and quality of water in rivers, lakes, stormwater and sewage, and assists with surveying and mapping oceans, seas and rivers.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Performs routine mathematical calculations and assists in undertaking measurements for surveying and charting bodies of water
- Installs, calibrates and maintains hydrography equipment to monitor water levels and flow, meteorology, sediments and water quality
- Assists in the collection of water surveying data such as coastline identification, bed relief or depth, and heights of water in oceans, rivers or lakes, using navigation systems
- Measures the depth of water bodies, and monitors turbidity and the accumulation of silt
- Uses underwater acoustic equipment to establish and monitor tidal data and outline coastlines
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a school science laboratory and prep room, supporting teachers and students through the school week. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A practical lesson goes smoothly because every piece of equipment was where the teacher needed it
- A student asks what you do and then wants to see the prep room
- A tricky experiment finally works, and a whole class cheers
Hard days
- A teacher asks for a practical lesson that needs preparing by first period tomorrow
- A spill or breakage that has to be handled safely before the next class arrives
- Cleaning, counting and labelling long after the students have left
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 311534, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.