ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hyporheic zone

The hyporheic zone is like an underground playground beneath a river or stream. You know how when you play in the sand and dig a hole, water starts to fill it up? Well, the same thing happens with the river or stream. The water flows through the rocks and gravel under the water and the hyporheic zone is where this water and sand mix.

This mixing is really important because it helps to clean the water and provide a home for lots of different kinds of bugs and animals. Even though you can't see it, there is a whole other world living down there!

The hyporheic zone also helps to regulate the temperature of the water in the river or stream. When the sun is shining really hot on the water, the hyporheic zone helps to cool it down so that the animals and plants in the water don't get too hot.

So, next time you are playing in a river or stream, remember that there is an amazing world underneath your feet in the hyporheic zone!