1.2.4 Conductivity

The LTC Levelogger Junior provides the added feature of electrical conductivity measurement. It measures the actual conductivity at the current temperature. Conductivity measurement is particularly useful in monitoring saltwater intrusion, surface water infiltration and mixing, as well as the monitoring of certain pollutants and contaminant parameters. Conductivity is measured via a platinum 4-electrode sensor, which produces highly stable and consistent readings. Conductivity calibration is performed by using a liquid solution with a known conductivity value and the Calibration Wizard in the Levelogger Windows Software. The Data Compensation Wizard allows you to convert conductivity readings to Specific Conductance (at 25ºC), or Salinity expressed in Practical Salinity Units (PSU). A Practical Salinity Unit (PSU) is a dimensionless descriptor for the Practical Salinity Scale (PSS). The PSS defines salinity as the ratio of a water sample's conductivity to that of a standard KCL solution. The Data Compensation Wizard uses the equation given in the UNESCO Technical Paper "Algorithms for computation of fundamental properties of seawater", to convert Conductivity readings to Salinity. For more information, see: Fofonoff, N. P. and R.C. Millard, Jr. Algorithms for computation of fundamental properties of seawater, UNESCO, Tech. Pap. Mar. Sci.,44.