STUDENTS UNDER 16
WORKING UNDERWATER
Have you thought about a career that involves working in the underwater environment? With more and more emphasis being placed on making use of these vast resources and exploiting those buried beneath the seabed, there are many new exciting careers available – literally “Oceans of Opportunity”!
Oil and gas will continue to be major sources of energy for many years to come. Offshore production of this commodity has now moved into deeper waters demanding a completely new approach involving the use of remotely operated and robotic machines. In UK waters, oil is now being produced from reservoirs located to the west of the Shetlands in waters over 500m deep with new discoveries still being made. Offshore Brazil they are producing oil in waters close to a depth of 2000m and heading deeper.
Offshore renewable energy from wind, wave, tides and currents is becoming a major source of clean, green energy and requires expertise in engineering, oceanography, marine biology (to avoid harm to marine creatures) and law.
You may be surprised that the vast majority of global internet communication takes place using optical fibre lines laid between the continents on the ocean bed – not through the use of satellites. Laying these lines at such great depths demands the ultimate in underwater technology and positioning techniques.
Oil or gas is not the only commodity of value that lies beneath our oceans; there is a wealth of minerals scattered about the seafloor. Subsea–mining for rare minerals is taking off to meet growing demand for rechargeable batteries, high–tech vehicles and electronics. Resources are hard to reach and often lie in deep, international waters.
Harnessing the resources of the oceans will prove to be a major challenge for many years to come. With increasing concern over safety and the protection of the marine environment has come the need to improve our understanding of the role(s) that the oceans play in our living world. To achieve all of this, new technology will need to be developed and engineers, technologists and scientists from a wide range of disciplines will have to work closely together.
To enter this exciting field in a professional capacity ideally you will need to have an honours degree in an engineering, or science subject, probably followed by post–graduate qualifications. You need to have a suitable combination of A levels, e.g. maths and physical sciences or engineering.
For further information contact: Your careers officer.