ABSTRACT
The term continental waters refers to all the water located within the limit of the continents. The distillation of sea water, caused by solar radiation, is the original source of the water on the continents. It occurs even at low temperatures, given the high tension of water vapour. Electrolytes in solution in water reflect the geological nature of the land it has crossed. Apart from dissolved atmospheric gases, the chemical components of water, running as well as stagnant, are electrolytes represented by anions: essentially bicarbonates, sulphates, nitrates, phosphates, silicates, and chlorides. The nitrogenous compounds—ammoniac, nitrites, and nitrates—result from the oxidation of organic compounds on the watersheds and their synthesis from atmospheric nitrogen during storms. At each point along a water course, the content of electrolytes resulting from the mother rock is correlated negatively to the flow. This is because the dissolution is a function of the area of substrate-water contact and transit time.
