Riffle

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/riffle

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Fluvial systems (rivers and streams)
2. What is the hydromorphological characteristics?Shallow depth, increased flow velocity, turbulent surface, exposed substrate (gravel, cobbles, boulders)
3. What is a riffle in a river?A riffle is a shallow part of a river where the water moves fast and makes waves and bubbles. It happens when the river bed has rocks or a steeper slope. It looks like a little dance of water.
4. Why do riffles have fast, bubbly water?The water in a riffle moves quickly over rocks, which stirs it up and creates bubbles. This mixing brings more air into the water, giving fish and insects more oxygen to breathe.

Fluvial System: A river or stream and the landscape it influences.
Geomorphology: The study of the physical features of the surface of the earth and their processes of formation.
Macroinvertebrates: Small invertebrates visible to the naked eye, such as insect larvae and crustaceans, living in aquatic environments.