Assessment and Correlation of Saline Soil Characteristics using Electrical Resistivity

Abstract

Soil salinity is becoming one of the most devastating environmental hazards over the years. Soil investigation involves fast, low cost and non disturbing methods to measure soil characteristics for both construction projects as well as for agricultural use. The electrical resistivity of saline soils is greatly governed by salt concentration and the presence of moisture in soil matrix. Experimental results of this investigation highlight that there is a significant relationship between the electrical resistivity of soil samples mixed with chloride solutions (NaCl, KCl, and MgCl 2 ) at various concentrations, and soil physical properties. Correlations represented by quadratic functions were obtained between electrical resistivity and soil characteristics, namely, water content, degree of saturation and salt concentration. This research reveals that the obtained correlations between electrical resistivity, salt concentration, water content and degree of saturation are effective for predicting the characteristics of salt affected soils in practice, which constitute a governing element in the assessment of saline lands sustaining infrastructure.