\u3cp\u3eIon exchange membranes (IEMs) are used for selective transport of ions between two solutions. These solutions are often different in concentration or composition. The membrane resistance (R\u3csub\u3eM\u3c/sub\u3e) is an important parameter affecting power consumption or power production in electrodialytic processes. In contrast to real applications, often R\u3csub\u3eM\u3c/sub\u3e is determined while using a standard 0.5M NaCl external solution. It is known that R\u3csub\u3eM\u3c/sub\u3e increases with decreasing concentration. However, the detailed effect of a salinity gradient present over an IEM on R\u3csub\u3eM\u3c/sub\u3e was not known, and is studied here using alternating and direct current. NaCl solution concentrations varied from 0.01 to 1.1M. The results show that R\u3csub\u3eM\u3c/sub\u3e is mainly determined by the lowest external concentration. R\u3csub\u3eM\u3c/sub\u3e can be considered as two resistors in series i.e. a gel phase (concentration independent) and an ionic solution phase (concentration dependent). The membrane conductivity is limited by the conductivity of the ionic solution when the external concentration, c\u3csub\u3eext\u3c/sub\u3eext≥0.3M, then differences of R\u3csub\u3eM\u3c/sub\u3e are small. A good approximation of experimentally determined R\u3csub\u3eM\u3c/sub\u3e can be obtained. The internal ion concentration profile is a key factor in modeling R\u3csub\u3eM\u3c/sub\u3e.\u3c/p\u3