Why Is The Flow Of Water More In A Riffle Than In A Pool?

Scientifically water always flows or moves when there is a gradient. Water always tries to find its level. If there is a difference in the levels of water the water at the higher level will flow down to the water at a lower level, provided it can, till the two levels are equal.

Again scientifically, water will always occupy a level of lower energy and hence will from a region of high potential energy to a level of low potential energy provided there is a pathway to do so. However, if there is no such difference in levels or there are no such drivers, water can be very stationary or completely stagnant. This is the case of water in a pool.

The word pool means still water. Pool could be a still place in a stream, a small body of stationary water which may be otherwise called a pond, or even a small collection of liquid on a surface. In a pool there is no flow of water because it is more or less contained water and not flowing water. Whereas when we talk about a riffle, it is generally a volume of water which is not stagnant, it is rather choppy.

A riffle may be another name for a rapid. The flow of water will definitely be more in a rapid as it is a body of quick flowing water, the energy difference being supplied by the slope in the river bed.

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