Use of chemical composition of surface waters in estimating contributions from dissolved matter sources

Macrocomponent chemical composition data for the waters and the volume of streamflow were used to quantify the contributions from alkaline and alkaline-earth metal cation sources in surface waters (atmospheric depositions, and mineral and organic matter of soils). It is shown that the proportion of matter of organogenic origin in surface waters is decreasing from spring to autumn, as opposed to the increase in the contribution from weathering. The largest values of removal of cations of both mineral and organic origin are observed in mid-summer.