460 



122 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE NEXT DECADE 



talent that can be applied to the questions posed. Concern has 

 developed regarding the potential shortage of Ph.D.s in science 

 and engineering in the 1990s and beyond in terms of both number 

 and quality. The oceanographic community has, however, ques- 

 tioned this assertion of a lack of qualified doctorates. This sec- 

 tion discusses the demographics of oceanography and relates its 

 characteristics to research needs. 



In examining ocean science, the board asked eight specific 

 questions: 



• How many Ph.D. -level oceanographers are there, and at what 

 rate has the number of Ph.D. -level ocean scientists changed over 

 time? 



• How many ocean science doctorates are produced annually? 



• What is the present age profile of oceanographers in academia 

 and the federal government, and has it changed over time? 



• Has the field matured in terms of becoming a separate disci- 

 pline? 



• How has the percentage of women, minorities, and foreign 

 nationals in the field changed over time? 



• Has the field changed in terms of academic emphasis among 

 the major subdisciplines [physical oceanography (P.O.), chemical 

 oceanography (CO) and marine chemistry (M.C.), marine geology 

 and geophysics (MG and G), biological oceanography (B.O.) and 

 marine biology (M.B.), and ocean engineering (O.E.)]? 



• Has the l3alance of the field changed in terms of the relative 

 size and importance of the major oceanographic institutions? 



• How are research oceanographers supported? What is the 

 ratio of institutional to federal salary support for the oceanogra- 

 phy community as a whole? 



Data Sources 



Information was collected from a variety of sources. Data on 

 the demographics of oceanography was obtained from biennial re- 

 ports (1973 to 1989) issued by NSF, called Characteristics of Doc- 

 toral Scientists and Engineers in the United States (NSF, 1975; 

 1977; 1979; 1981; 1983; 1985; 1987; 1989; 1991). In addition, the 

 Ocean Studies Board surveyed the major ocean science institu- 

 tions and federal agencies (Appendixes IV and V). These two 

 sources form the basis for much of the information presented. 

 Additional information on faculty ages and number of Ph.D.s gradu- 

 ating was obtained from Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc. 



