Wetlands Scientist

Most people see swamps as stagnant and smelly, best known for mud, muck and mosquitoes. A Wetlands Scientist, however, knows better.

A Scientist who studies “wetlands” — fragile environments where the soil’s saturated and soaked with water — a Wetlands Scientist knows that swamps are more “special” than “scary,” which is why they’re dedicated to protecting and preserving them.

Employed by universities, governments, environmental organizations and construction firms, as a Wetlands Scientist you’re paid to research wetlands’ climates, ecosystems, flora and fauna in order to assess their environmental impacts and advantages. Thanks to people like you, for instance, the world now knows that wetlands are biologically productive in the fight against climate change, capable of storing and cleaning drinking water, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, preventing floods, and offering habitats for endangered plants, animals, birds and fish.

Based on those benefits, the U.S. government has passed laws to protect wetlands from pollution, development and sprawl. As a wetlands specialist, therefore, you’re in high demand among the governments enforcing rules as well as the companies following them. Because they want to know more about wetlands’ formation, function, restoration and regulation, they pay you to go out into the field — often in waders — in order to survey, assess, map and analyze them. Typically, that means observing wildlife, collecting samples, then analyzing them in labs, ultimately sharing your findings in reports, articles and presentations.

Because most people want to drain swamps then replace them with shopping malls, you’re best described as Superman meets Swamp Thing, making the world safe for swamps, marshes and mires.