Performance of a vertically-employed electrical conductivity probe: Measurement of electrical conductivity dynamics in saturated soils
2006
Hong, Y.(Tokyo Univ. of Agriculture (Japan)) | Tatsuno, J. | Nakamura, T. | Tajima, K. | Tamaki, K.
We developed an instrument capable of measuring electrical conductivity in saturated soils below groundwater level. Electrical conductivity of each layer is simply measured by inserting the probe into the soil. Initial research demonstrated the applicability of the probe for measuring the electrical conductivity in saturated soils. The next phase of this study was divided into two experiments designed to understand electrical conductivity dynamics in saturated soils. Specifically, the first experiment was designed to determine if the probe could be employed to differentiate between two soil layers that were stratified and saturated with solutions of different salinities. The second experiment assessed conductivity dynamics under conditions of salt accumulation at the soil surface due to evaporation. Electrical conductivity measurements of the soil solution (ECe) undertaken in both experiments revealed that the instrument was able to detect the movement of salt in the soil in both soil environments. Moreover, comparisons of ECe from both treatments revealed that the probe was accurate and consistent, and that it appears to be well suited for assessing the dynamics of soil conductivity in saturated soils. Potential applications of this probe include investigations of soil salinization on a continuous basis. This probe will be applied to investigations of soil electrical conductivity dynamics in northeastern Thailand where groundwater levels are high and farming practices are limited by soil salinization.
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