20-Year Prospect
As we said before, jobs for oceanographers are growing and so is funding. Of course, so are the oceans. Regardless of the individual stance on the causes of climate change, the facts remain indisputable—ocean levels are increasing bit by bit. While you may not notice any changes in the coastline tomorrow or next Sunday, you may see drastic differences in the maps of the 2030s.
It's not just geographical changes that ocean professionals will have to deal with. Climate change and pollution are major factors in the changes being seen in the ecosystems of the worlds' oceans.
Every animal from giant whales to microscopic bacteria are seeing scary-big changes in their food supplies and living environment. It's like eating at the same sandwich shop all your life only to find out that they've torn it down and put up a McDonalds (and all the Happy Meals are filled with oil).
What does this mean for the future of the planet's largest bodies of water? Who knows? But at least we'll have you there studying it while it happens. Future Shmoop thanks you.