What does a hydrologist do?
A hydrologist studies the water systems' dynamics in the Earth's crust and uses the data to solve water maintenance issues, water scarcity, water management, water quality, and environmental effects on water systems. These professionals analyze concerns related to hydroelectric power plants, local water projects, and dam safety. Besides measuring water pollution levels, hydrologists also conduct fieldwork to gather soil samples and water samples. They determine water flow, water volume, and PH levels by measuring water properties.
Hydrologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real hydrologist resumes:
- Provide GIS support to groundwater modeling activities, including data analysis and manipulation, database construction, and cartography.
- Help write multiple data reports for online publication, using a GIS to produce applicable maps.
- Map boreholes and aquifers with ESRI ArcGIS to investigate spatial variability of hydrogeologic conditions.
- Develop plans and specifications for remediation of asbestos and/or lead-base paint as required to complete the renovation or demolition activities.
- Design and implement geotechnical programs to determine site feasibility for land-application methods of wastewater treatment.
Hydrologist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Hydrologists are proficient in Water Resources, Data Collection, and Surface Water. They’re also known for soft skills such as Physical stamina, Analytical skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Hydrologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Water Resources, 14%
Provided the twenty Tribes of Eastern Oklahoma with funds and technical assistance for Water Resources.
- Data Collection, 9%
Supervised lower grade technicians assisting in data collection and analysis.
- Surface Water, 7%
Managed annual program budget and planned and executed surface water, aquatic habitat and riparian monitoring protocols.
- Technical Reports, 6%
Prepared technical reports and other documents to meet permitting and compliance requirements.
- GIS, 6%
Provided GIS support to groundwater modeling activities, including data analysis and manipulation, database construction, and cartography.
- Ground Water, 4%
Evaluated ground water and soil laboratory data; and, created groundwater flow diagrams and contaminant concentration diagrams.
"water resources," "data collection," and "surface water" are among the most common skills that hydrologists use at work. You can find even more hydrologist responsibilities below, including:
Physical stamina. The most essential soft skill for a hydrologist to carry out their responsibilities is physical stamina. This skill is important for the role because "when they are in the field, hydrologists may need to hike to remote locations while carrying testing and sampling equipment." Additionally, a hydrologist resume shows how their duties depend on physical stamina: "conduct geophysical and hydrological surveys of nepal's ground water resource and boulder formation zone"
Analytical skills. Another essential skill to perform hydrologist duties is analytical skills. Hydrologists responsibilities require that "hydrologists need to analyze data collected in the field and examine the results of laboratory tests." Hydrologists also use analytical skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "coordinated the electronic data plan (edp) for the water resources program and presented computer tech support for office workers. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for hydrologists to perform their duties. For an example of how hydrologist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "hydrologists prepare detailed reports that document their research methods and findings." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a hydrologist: "configured, installed, maintained, and serviced a wide variety of sensing, recording, and communications equipment and instrumentation. ".
The three companies that hire the most hydrologists are:
- State Of Montana2 hydrologists jobs
- HDR1 hydrologists jobs
- Sealaska
1 hydrologists jobs
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Compare different hydrologists
Hydrologist vs. Assistant groundwater engineer
An environmental service technician is an employee who works in a hospital or healthcare facility to maintain cleanliness and a healthy environment within the premises. Environmental service technicians are involved in traditional janitorial tasks as well as proper handling and disposal of biological waste. Although not responsible for laundering them, they are required to distribute linens and keep track of the linens used per department. Environmental service technicians must also refill toilet papers and other paper products to rooms when needed.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, hydrologist responsibilities require skills like "data collection," "surface water," "technical reports," and "gis." Meanwhile a typical assistant groundwater engineer has skills in areas such as "local regulations," "query results," "program design," and "environmental impacts." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, assistant groundwater engineers reach lower levels of education than hydrologists. Assistant groundwater engineers are 21.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Hydrologist vs. Environmental service technician
An environmental technician is responsible for identifying, evaluating, preventing, and controlling contamination of the environment. They study how it affects human health with the supervision of environmental engineers and environmental scientists. Environmental technicians work by monitoring the environment and look for possible sources of pollution and contamination that can possibly affect public health. They make sure that environmental violations are prevented. In addition, an environmental technician also investigates any complaint that is related to water quality, air quality, and food safety.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that hydrologist responsibilities requires skills like "water resources," "data collection," "surface water," and "technical reports." But an environmental service technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "environmental services," "customer service," and "cleanliness."
In general, environmental service technicians achieve lower levels of education than hydrologists. They're 19.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 3.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hydrologist vs. Environmental technician
Environmental specialists are experts in natural science who are responsible for monitoring the environmental impact of a population, identifying environmental problems, and recommending measures to solve these issues. These scientists perform various duties and responsibilities that include overseeing field examinations and reporting hazard materials and locations, evaluating environmental health concerns, and investigating preparing reports related to environmental issues. Environmental specialists are also responsible for consulting with agencies or clients about an issue or situation and working with other companies to reduce pollution and waste.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from hydrologist resumes include skills like "water resources," "local agencies," "hec ras," and "site inspections," whereas an environmental technician is more likely to list skills in "patients," "osha," "hazardous materials," and "customer service. "
Environmental technicians typically earn lower educational levels compared to hydrologists. Specifically, they're 17.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hydrologist vs. Environmental specialist
Even though a few skill sets overlap between hydrologists and environmental specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a hydrologist might have more use for skills like "water resources," "local agencies," "hec ras," and "usgs." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of environmental specialists require skills like "hazardous waste," "environmental compliance," "hazardous materials," and "customer service. "
Environmental specialists reach lower levels of education compared to hydrologists, in general. The difference is that they're 9.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of hydrologist
Updated January 8, 2025
