Soil Salinity
Recommended for grades 6–12.
Introduction
Soil salinity is a measure of the saltiness of the soil. Many plants have trouble growing in soil that contains too much salt. High soil salinity makes it more difficult for plants to get water from the soil and can interfere with their obtaining the proper nutrients.
Soil salinity is determined by measuring the electrical conductivity of a soil-water mixture. The higher the salinity of the soil, the higher the conductivity of this mixture will be.
In this experiment, you will use a Conductivity Probe to measure the salinity of several soils. The unique units of soil salinity require a special note. Soil salinity is commonly reported in units of dS/m, deciSiemens per meter.
Objectives
In this experiment, you will
- Use a Conductivity Probe to measure the salinity of soil samples.
- Predict plant response to the salinity of the soil.
Sensors and Equipment
This experiment requires each of the following Vernier sensors and equipment (unless otherwise noted):
Additional Requirements
You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?
Download Experiment Preview
The student-version preview includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for computer-based data collection
- List of materials and equipment
Note: The experiment preview of the computer edition does not include essential teacher information, safety tips, or sample data. Instructions for Logger Pro and other software (such as LabQuest App or TI handheld software, where available) are on the CD that accompanies the book. We strongly recommend that you purchase the book before performing experiments.
Standards Correlations
See all standards correlations for Earth Science with Vernier »
Included in the Lab Book
Vernier lab books include a CD with word-processing files of the student instructions, essential teacher information, suggested answers, sample data and graphs, and more.