Individuals who conduct research to identify and abate or eliminate sources of pollutants that affect people, wildlife and their environments. These workers analyze and report measurements and observations of air, water, soil and other sources and make recommendations on how best to clean and preserve the environment. Understanding the issues involved in protecting the environment (degradation, conservation, recycling and replenishment) is central to the work of environmental scientists who often use their skills and knowledge to design and monitor waste disposal sites, preserve water supplies and reclaim contaminated land and water to comply with federal environmental regulations. Included are environmental ecologists who study the relationships between organisms and their environments and the effects of influences such as population size, pollutants, rainfall, temperature and altitude; ecological modellers who study ecosystems, the control of environmental pollution and the management of resources; environmental chemists who study the toxicity of various chemicals (how those chemicals affect plants, animals and people); and geochemists who study the nature and distribution of chemical elements in ground water and earth materials.

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