The measurement of electrolytic conductivity is widely applied as a control parameter and its relevance is continuously increasing.
In this work the attention is focused on the electrical behavior of low cost in-situ four electrode conductivity cells for water quality monitoring in estuaries and oceans. The design of each cell, the choice of the cell constant suitable for the range of conductivities to be measured, the modeling of the current density distribution using a finite element method are described in detail. The experimental characterization of the cell versus frequency, temperature and salt concentration is also carried out. A frequency range where parasitic effects are minimized is identified.