Will AI replace Hydrologists?
AI reaches a large part of this job’s work.
52/100
High exposure
More exposed to AI than 83% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 0% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 77% of the work
What the job involves
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.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Within reach(18)
- Design and conduct scientific hydrogeological investigations to ensure that accurate and appropriate information is available for use in water resource management decisions.
- Study and document quantities, distribution, disposition, and development of underground and surface waters.
- Measure and graph phenomena such as lake levels, stream flows, and changes in water volumes.
- Apply research findings to help minimize the environmental impacts of pollution, waterborne diseases, erosion, and sedimentation.
- Study public water supply issues, including flood and drought risks, water quality, wastewater, and impacts on wetland habitats.
and 13 more
Out of reach(6)
- Collect and analyze water samples as part of field investigations or to validate data from automatic monitors.
- Install, maintain, and calibrate instruments such as those that monitor water levels, rainfall, and sediments.
- Coordinate and supervise the work of professional and technical staff, including research assistants, technologists, and technicians.
- Investigate complaints or conflicts related to the alteration of public waters, gathering information, recommending alternatives, informing participants of progress, and preparing draft orders.
- Monitor the work of well contractors, exploratory borers, and engineers and enforce rules regarding their activities.
and 1 more
Also called
Hydrogeologist · Groundwater Consultant · Research Hydrologic Engineer · Research Hydrologist · Source Water Protection Specialist · Isotope Hydrologist · Project Hydrogeologist · Surface Hydrologist
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics