Big data show idiosyncratic patterns and rates of geomorphic river mobility.
other · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40188197.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-58427-9 and PMC identifier 11972300.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Big data present unprecedented opportunities to test long-standing theories regarding patterns and rates of geomorphic river adjustments. Here, we use locational probabilities derived from Landsat imagery (1988-2019) to quantify the dynamics of 600 km<sup>2</sup> of riverbed in 10 Philippine catchments. Analysis of lateral adjustments reveals spatially non-uniform variability in along-valley patterns of geomorphic river mobility, with zones of relative stability interspersed with zones of relative instability. Hotspots of mobility vary in magnitude, size and location between catchments. We could not identify monotonic relationships between local factors (active channel width, valley floor width and confinement ratio) and mobility. No relation between the channel pattern type and rates of adjustment was evident. We contend that satellite-derived locational probabilities provide a spatially continuous dynamic metric that can help unravel and contextualise forms and rates of geomorphic river adjustment, thereby helping to derive insights into idiosyncrasies of river behaviour in dynamic landscapes.