Also called: Ice Analyst, Ice Forecaster
Studies satellite images to map ice on the Arctic and Antarctic oceans and the Great Lakes, so ships and icebreakers can plan safe routes.
Each day you pull radar and satellite images and draw where the ice edge is, how thick it is and where cracks are opening. You brief a Coast Guard icebreaker heading to Antarctica, update charts for Great Lakes freighters, and answer questions from Navy planners.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in meteorology, oceanography, geography or remote sensing; some start as Navy weather forecasters.
Ways in: 4-year college, Military. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Meteorology, Oceanography, Geography, Remote Sensing.
Growing about average. Small office; Arctic shipping growth keeps it important.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI now auto-classifies ice in satellite images; analysts check tricky areas and brief ship captains.
Classes: Earth science, Physics, GIS or computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.