← All 785 jobsFile 19-2021
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
Heavily edited
AI already performs a large share of the work in this job. Even so, the BLS expects 2.6% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #129 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +2.6% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $99,070 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 10,700 in the US, with about 800 openings a year
The work, 19 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI does this: Provide information or assistance to the public14%
AI performed this in about 1 in 7 Copilot conversations and completed it 86% of the time.
AI helps with this: Research issues related to earth sciences14%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 541 conversations, and it got them there 87% of the time.
AI does this: Present research or technical information8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 30 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI helps with this: Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models7%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,980 conversations, and it got them there 66% of the time.
Still yours: Collect environmental or biological samples7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Analyze data to improve operations6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Teach academic or vocational subjects6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 70 Copilot conversations and completed it 84% of the time.
Still yours: Investigate the environmental impact of industrial or development activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Test performance of computer or information systems4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,825 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time.
AI helps with this: Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 903 conversations, and it got them there 86% of the time.
AI does this: Program computer systems or production equipment4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 822 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI does this: Prepare informational or instructional materials4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 51 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI does this: Assist scientists, scholars, or technical specialists with projects or research3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 250 Copilot conversations and completed it 79% of the time.
Still yours: Direct scientific or technical activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Communicate environmental or sustainability information3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 392 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Develop research plans or methodologies2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Develop systems or practices to mitigate or resolve environmental problems2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor environmental conditions2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Create visual designs or displays2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 78 conversations, and it got them there 40% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 103 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 800 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 44% of the workHydrologists19% AI does, against 42% here+1.5% by 2035 · $96,600 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 35% of the workGeoscientists27% AI does, against 42% here+5.1% by 2035 · $101,920 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 29% of the workEnvironmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health33% AI does, against 42% here+6.1% by 2035 · $82,220 · Bachelor’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Planet front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.32, higher than 92% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 19-2021 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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