COMPOSITION OF SPRING WATER 165 



IMurray has further computed that the volume of water flowing 

 into the sea in one year, for all the land areas of the earth, totals 

 about 6.524 cubic miles, which, with the average composition given 

 above, results in the grand total of 4,975,117,588 British tons of 

 mineral matter carried in solution into the sea annually. Large as 

 the amount is, when compared with the total mineral matter in the 

 sea, it dwindles in proportion. Of calcium carbonate alone 2,131,- 

 455,940 tons are carried into the sea annually, of magnesium car- 

 bonate 736,363,880 tons, or a total of carbonates of 2,867,819,820 

 tons, or, in round numbers, 2,868 million British tons, or 2,823 mil- 

 lion metric tons.* (Kriimmel figures out only 2,460 million metric 

 tons of carbonates, using Penck's estimate [26:5/0] of 4,100 mil- 

 lion metric tons of mineral matter carried into the sea annually, or 

 1/6000 of the total amount of the water flowing into the sea. The 

 percentage of carbonates dissolved in river water is taken as 60.) 

 Although the percentage of carbonates in the sea may be as low as 

 0.2, the absolute quantity is 99.4 X 10^- metric tons, or 39,000 times 

 as much as the yearly supply by streams, according to Krummel's 

 estimate. On these same estimates it appears that of sulphates there 

 is 9 million times the amount by weight, while of chlorides there is 

 17 million times the amount by weight brought into the sea annually 

 by all the rivers of the world. ( KriJmmel-20 : 228.) 



IV. Composition of Spring Water. 



Rain water is not absolutely pure HoO, but always contains im- 

 purities gathered in its passage through the lower strata of the 

 atmosphere. An analysis of rain water collected near London, Eng- 

 land, gave the following composition : 



Tabic of Composition of Rain Water near London. 



Permille. 



Organic carbon o . 00099 



Organic nitrogen o . 00022 



Ammonia .^ o . 00050 



Nitrogen as nitrates and nitrites •. o . 00007 



Chlorine o . 00630 



Other impurities 0.03142 



Total o . 03950 



* One metric ton equals 1,000 kilograms, equals 2,204.6 pounds avoirdupois; 

 I British ton equals 2,240 pounds avoirdupois. 



