Working within aquatic ecosystem management

The physical, chemical and biological conditions in aquatic environments are increasingly being influenced by human activities and by global climate change. At the same time, billions of people depend on freshwater systems and the coastal zone for drinking water, food production, and recreation. Quantitative assessments and predictions of the consequences of human activities for these areas are thus in high demand.

New national legislation and EU directives will require candidates who can understand and quantify how aquatic environmental quality is affected by a multitude of human activities including construction of wind mill parks, oil and gas extraction, nutrient enrichment, recreation, aquaculture, exploitation, shipping, and pollution. For instance, mastering the monitoring systems, models and quantitative tools necessary for making environmental impact assessments requires a combination of biological and engineering qualifications.

Candidates who can design cost effective and technologically advanced monitoring systems to measure the environmental quality of aquatic habitats, and who have the necessary skills to model and forecast how environmental quality will be influenced by human activities, will find jobs in private consultancy firms, in research institutions, and in universities providing advice to various industries and to national and local authorities. Similarly, local councils, ministries, the EU Commission, and  international organizations and NGOs need candidates within aquatic ecosystem management. 

Candidates will also be needed to fill research positions aimed at improving the basic scientific knowledge about the ecological consequences of human activities.