Skip to main content
Dryad

Data and code for: River planforms originate from (im)balance between riverbank erosion and bar accretion

Data files

Sep 05, 2024 version files 69.22 GB

Select up to 11 GB of files for download

Abstract

Why rivers confine flow to a single channel (single-thread planform) or divide flow into multiple sub-channels (multi-thread planform) forms a longstanding fundamental question in river science, which to date remains poorly understood. In the associated manuscript, we probe planform origins using a novel dataset of 11+ million riverbank migration vectors mapped from 36 years of global satellite imagery along 84 river systems. Results show single-thread rivers originate from a balance between bank erosion and opposing-bar deposition, which maintains an equilibrium width as channels migrate. In contrast, multi-thread rivers originate from imbalance: bank erosion outpaces opposing-bar deposition, causing sub-channels to repeatedly widen and split. This width instability challenges equilibrium paradigms in river science, endangers riverside communities, and lowers the potential costs of nature-based river restoration projects along multi-thread rivers. Here, we provide the data and codes that form the foundation of this manuscript.