--- title: "Specific Conductance Sensors & Monitoring | Aethair" description: "Specific conductance is conductivity corrected to 25 °C, in microsiemens per centimeter. Why it matters, how sondes compute it, and how to monitor it." url: https://aethair.io/parameters/specific_conductance/ --- Measurements · Water Quality # Specific Conductance Also known as SPC, specific conductivity Conductivity normalized to 25 °C (specific conductance). [Schedule a call](https://calendly.com/d/ctdd-mkr-v9v/aethair-demo-website) [Configure Specific Conductance Monitoring](https://aethair.io/build/?params=specific_conductance) At a glance µS/cm Water Quality 1 way to measure it - **Thiamis** 5 external instruments What it is ## What is specific conductance? Specific conductance is conductivity corrected to a standard reference temperature, normally 25 degrees Celsius, reported in microsiemens per centimeter. Raw conductivity rises and falls steeply with temperature (the same water reads higher when warm and lower when cold), so a bare conductivity value cannot be compared fairly between a summer afternoon and a winter morning. Specific conductance removes that temperature effect, leaving a number that reflects only the dissolved-ion content of the water. It is, in practice, the form in which conductivity data are usually reported and interpreted, because it lets readings be compared across seasons, sites, and instruments on equal terms. From specific conductance the sonde also derives salinity and total dissolved solids. Because it strips out temperature, specific conductance is the reference-quality version of conductivity and the value most monitoring programs work with. ### Health and operational effects Specific conductance has the same operational meaning as conductivity (it tracks dissolved salts and ions), but by removing the temperature effect it makes trends and thresholds trustworthy. A rising specific conductance points to increasing salinity from intrusion, road salt, discharge, or evaporation, while a stable trace confirms a consistent source. In drinking-water, irrigation, and industrial supply, specific conductance is the figure compared against guideline salinity levels, precisely because it is not confounded by how warm the water happened to be. How it is measured ## How Specific Conductance Is Measured Specific conductance is not measured by a separate sensor; it is computed from the raw conductivity and temperature readings of the same conductivity channel on a multiparameter sonde. The sonde measures conductivity and water temperature together and applies a temperature-compensation function (typically around 2 percent per degree Celsius for natural waters) to refer the value back to 25 degrees Celsius. The Thiamis gateway records the corrected result. Because it depends entirely on the conductivity cell, its accuracy relies on the same maintenance: periodic cleaning to remove biofouling and deposits, and calibration against a standard solution, so that both the conductivity and the temperature underlying the correction stay true. An instrument on Thiamis 5 A third-party instrument connected to a Thiamis gateway, reporting into the same Environet account. ### Placing specific conductance sensors Specific conductance comes from the conductivity cell of the sonde, so it is measured in situ at the same representative, well-mixed location: mid-channel, near an intake, or at an outfall. Continuous logging of the temperature-normalized value is what makes long records comparable: a slow seasonal rise in salinity stands out clearly once the daily temperature swing has been removed. Keeping the sonde clean and the conductivity cell calibrated ensures both the raw conductivity and the temperature that drives the correction remain reliable across the deployment. ### Every device and option that measures Specific Conductance 5 | Device / option | Type | Base platform | Measures | | - | - | - | - | | [YSI](https://aethair.io/sensors/ysi-water-quality-sondes/) · EXO1, EXO1S, EXO2… | Water Quality Sondes | Thiamis | Specific Conductance [Dissolved Ammonia (NH₃)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonia/) [Ammonium (NH₄)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonium/) [Blue-Green Algae](https://aethair.io/parameters/bga/) [Chloride](https://aethair.io/parameters/chloride/) [Chlorophyll](https://aethair.io/parameters/chlorophyll/) [Conductivity](https://aethair.io/parameters/conductivity/) | | [In-Situ](https://aethair.io/sensors/in-situ-water-quality-sondes/) · Level TROLL 300, Level TROLL 400, Level TROLL 500… | Water Quality Sondes | Thiamis | Specific Conductance [Dissolved Ammonia (NH₃)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonia/) [Ammonium (NH₄)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonium/) [Blue-Green Algae](https://aethair.io/parameters/bga/) [Chloride](https://aethair.io/parameters/chloride/) [Chlorophyll](https://aethair.io/parameters/chlorophyll/) [Conductivity](https://aethair.io/parameters/conductivity/) | | [Eureka Water Probes](https://aethair.io/sensors/eureka-water-probes-water-quality-sondes/) · Manta+ 20, Manta+ 25, Manta+ 30… | Water Quality Sondes | Thiamis | Specific Conductance [Dissolved Ammonia (NH₃)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonia/) [Ammonium (NH₄)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonium/) [Chloride](https://aethair.io/parameters/chloride/) [Chlorophyll](https://aethair.io/parameters/chlorophyll/) [Dissolved CO₂](https://aethair.io/parameters/dissolved_co2/) [Dissolved Oxygen](https://aethair.io/parameters/do/) | | [Spectra Scientific](https://aethair.io/sensors/spectra-scientific-water-quality-sondes/) · Spectra Litmus 6, Spectra Litmus 4 | Water Quality Sondes | Thiamis | Specific Conductance [Dissolved Ammonia (NH₃)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonia/) [Ammonium (NH₄)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonium/) [Blue-Green Algae](https://aethair.io/parameters/bga/) [Chloride](https://aethair.io/parameters/chloride/) [Chlorophyll](https://aethair.io/parameters/chlorophyll/) [Conductivity](https://aethair.io/parameters/conductivity/) | | [YSI](https://aethair.io/sensors/ysi-water-quality-sondes/) · 6600 V2, 6600EDS V2, 6920 V2… | Water Quality Sondes | Thiamis | Specific Conductance [Dissolved Ammonia (NH₃)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonia/) [Ammonium (NH₄)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonium/) [Blue-Green Algae](https://aethair.io/parameters/bga/) [Chloride](https://aethair.io/parameters/chloride/) [Chlorophyll](https://aethair.io/parameters/chlorophyll/) [Conductivity](https://aethair.io/parameters/conductivity/) | [Configure Specific Conductance Monitoring](https://aethair.io/build/?params=specific_conductance) Related ## More in Water Quality [Water Temperature](https://aethair.io/parameters/water_temperature/) [pH](https://aethair.io/parameters/ph/) [ORP](https://aethair.io/parameters/orp/) [Salinity](https://aethair.io/parameters/salinity/) [TDS](https://aethair.io/parameters/tds/) [Turbidity](https://aethair.io/parameters/turbidity/) [Dissolved Oxygen](https://aethair.io/parameters/do/) [Chlorophyll](https://aethair.io/parameters/chlorophyll/) [Nitrate (NO₃)](https://aethair.io/parameters/nitrate/) [Ammonium (NH₄)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonium/) [Dissolved Ammonia (NH₃)](https://aethair.io/parameters/ammonia/) [Chloride](https://aethair.io/parameters/chloride/) Questions ## Specific Conductance FAQ How is specific conductance different from conductivity? Specific conductance is conductivity corrected to a standard temperature, usually 25 degrees Celsius. Raw conductivity changes with temperature, so the same water reads differently warm or cold; specific conductance removes that effect so only the dissolved-ion content remains. It is the form most monitoring programs use for comparison and trends. Why normalize conductivity to 25 degrees? Because conductivity rises by roughly 2 percent per degree Celsius, an uncorrected reading confuses temperature swings with real changes in salinity. Referring every reading to a common temperature lets you compare a summer and a winter measurement fairly, and makes thresholds and long-term trends meaningful. Do I need a separate sensor for specific conductance? No. It is calculated from the conductivity cell and the temperature sensor already on the sonde, not measured by a dedicated probe. The same channel therefore reports raw conductivity, specific conductance, and the derived salinity and total dissolved solids. How do I monitor specific conductance? Deploy a multiparameter sonde with a conductivity cell connected to a Thiamis gateway, which computes and records specific conductance continuously; keep the cell clean and calibrated. Use the configurator to pair a logger with a sonde covering specific conductance alongside conductivity, salinity, temperature, and pH.