Will AI replace Hydrologists?
Estimated risk score: 50 out of 100
Moderate replacement risk
Estimate from published task research, not reviewed by a person · how we estimate
Within about 19 points for 4 in 5 of the jobs we checked (31 to 69).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 25 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 19-2043.00 · Life, Physical, and Social Science
Tasks rated in 2023 as ones AI could do or speed up
Tasks a GPT-4-class model could do, or do in half the time or less: 4 of its 25 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Develop computer models for hydrologic predictions.
- Prepare written and oral reports describing research results, using illustrations, maps, appendices, and other information.
- Measure and graph phenomena such as lake levels, stream flows, and changes in water volumes.
- Develop or modify methods for conducting hydrologic studies.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 3 of its 25 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Install, maintain, and calibrate instruments such as those that monitor water levels, rainfall, and sediments.
- Administer programs designed to ensure the proper sealing of abandoned wells.
- Monitor the work of well contractors, exploratory borers, and engineers and enforce rules regarding their activities.
What the job is
Research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters; and study the form and intensity of precipitation and its rate of infiltration into the soil, movement through the earth, and return to the ocean and atmosphere.
Also called: Hydrogeologist, Research Hydrologist, Groundwater Consultant, Hydrologic Engineer, Isotope Hydrologist, Surface Hydrologist, Project Hydrogeologist, Water Resources Scientist.
Source. This site includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. (O*NET, CC BY 4.0.) Task ratings: Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models”, data used under the MIT licence (licence texts). Our change: we averaged the ratings over this occupation’s tasks and calibrated them to our 0–100 scale. It is not a prediction about any one person and not career advice. Disagree? Write to hello@yourstopwashit.com. How we estimate