Imagine you're a hydrogeology project manager at a mining company, responsible for monitoring the environmental impact of its operations. Your job involves coordinating with a team to conduct field surveys, collect samples, and analyze data to ensure the company's activities comply with environmental standards.
You discover signs of potential water contamination during a routine inspection at a new mining site. The water samples from the nearby river, crucial for the local ecosystem and community, show unexpected levels of pollutants. When this discovery is made, it is necessary to investigate promptly and comprehensively to determine the pollution's origin and scope.
Back at the office, you compile the data and draft a report detailing the findings. The report suggests that the construction activities caused runoff, leading to the contamination. Recognizing the seriousness of the issue, you propose several mitigation strategies, including improved waste management practices and installing filtration systems to prevent future incidents.
After presenting the report to the management, they approve the recommended measures. The quick response and implementation of these strategies demonstrate the company's commitment to environmental responsibility and community safety.
As an environmental geologist, you identify environmental risks associated with industrial activities and devise practical solutions to mitigate these risks, ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources and the well-being of surrounding communities.
Job duties vary from one position to the next, but in general, environmental geologists are involved in the following activities:
It is important to note that the majority of work in this occupation involves being in remote locations and covers large areas. Transportation may vary by foot, plane, boat, snowmobiles or trucks.
Environmental geologists operate within the office, field, and laboratory. In each of these settings, individuals in this occupation carry out various duties.
The office:
The field:
The lab
Possible work environment hazards for an Environmental Geologist could include:
Environmental geologists are employed across various sectors, encompassing government agencies, private companies, and educational institutions, such as:
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If you are a high school student considering a career as an environmental geologist, you should have a keen interest in:
If you are a post-secondary student considering a career as an environmental geologist, the following programs are most applicable:
To work as a geoscientist in Canada, you must register with the professional association in the province or territory of your employment. Multiple registrations may be required if your work spans across provinces or territories. This registration allows you to legally practice in that area and carry the title Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.).
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers seek professionals who combine technical knowledge with personal and professional skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
As a high school student growing up in New Brunswick, Christina Turcotte found that she had an aptitude for math and sciences-particularly biology. So, when she enrolled at the University of New Brunswick, biology was her first choice. "I had no idea that an interest in biology could lead to a career in geology," Christina says. During her second year at university, Christina was urged by a friend to join the university geological society.
Field trips to mines and geological formations across New Brunswick opened her eyes to a new set of possibilities. She switched majors and, within four years, had earned a B.Sc. in geology with a major in environmental geochemistry. Today, Christina is working for a Montreal-based environmental consulting firm. Her job keeps her in the field most of the time, for instance, examining commercial and industrial buildings for PCBs, asbestos, and improperly dumped chemicals or overseeing the removal of underground tanks. "The work I do requires well-developed investigative skills," Christina says. "People skills are also high on the list because you have to be reassuring, firm and fair in dealing with clients. When I return to the office, interpretation skills come into play. You have to combine evidence from sources such as samples, historical research, aerial photographs and interviews to form a complete picture of a particular site."
An environmental geologist studies how geophysical events like erosion or tectonic motion (i.e. Earthquakes) directly affect human populations and the surrounding environment. Alternatively, they may look to discover natural resource reserves and work to prevent the resources from being exploited for commercial purposes.
Work in this field involves conducting studies on sites affected by climate change and analyzing natural disasters such as hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and storms.
Environmental geologists may be consulted on projects for sites for potential infrastructure like roads, dams, bridges, and tunnels, to ensure that it does not pose a risk to wildlife and ecosystems. They also analyze the effects of urban and industrial expansion and are vital to finding successful strategies for minimizing the potential negative effects.
It is important to note that specific projects carried out by environmental geologists may require you to spend extended periods outdoors.
Initially, when you hear of a geologist, you think of someone who collects rocks and studies minerals, oil, and the deeper layers of the earth. But environmental geology is one of the most important branches of science as it impacts every single person, every day.
We sometimes tend to be oblivious to how our every-day actions dictate the sustenance of the earth. As climate change becomes a prevailing topic, a clear and proper understanding of the science behind the earth and the resources we use makes it all the more important to combatting the effects of climate change before the effects become permanent.
Environmental geology is a fundamental important branch of science as it directly impacts every single person on the planet every single day. There is simply no way to avoid the environment around you.
The purpose of an environmental geologist is to create a sustainable environment and help us live with greater environmental awareness.
Individuals employed as environmental geologists may be classified in one or more of the following occupational groupings:
NOC Code: 2113- Geoscientists and Oceanographer
NOC Code: 2144- Geological Engineer
NOC Code: 2212- Geological and Mineral Technologists and Technicians
The National Occupation Classification (NOC) provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market. It gives statisticians, labour market analysts, career counsellors, employers and individual job seekers a consistent way to collect data, describe and understand the nature of work within different occupations.
The NOC is developed and updated in partnership with Statistics Canada to coincide with the 5- year census cycles. It is based on in-depth occupational research and consultations conducted across Canada, to reflect changes in the Canadian labour market.
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