A salinity sensor for long-term data collection in estuary studies

In this paper, a salinity sensor for long-term estuary studies is designed, developed and tested to provide an inexpensive and effective alternative for long-term data acquisition of salinity and temperature of water-based environments. The sensor utilizes a mutually inductive magnetic coil pair to measure conductivity and a diode configuration to measure temperature. Salinity is approximated from these two quantities. The salinity sensor is capable of measuring up to 67 g/l of salt concentration. Preliminary testing shows the effectiveness of the sensor.