Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41565655›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Global alluvial channel patterns.

Qiuqi Luo, Edward Park, Edgardo M Latrubesse, Xuehui Pi, Hongwei Fang, Yan Liu, Adam D Switzer, Dongfeng Li, Wenhui Qiu, Chunmiao Zheng and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Qiuqi LuoSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5396-7037
Edward ParkNational Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore. edward.park@nie.edu.sg.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1299-1724
Edgardo M LatrubesseGraduate Program in Environmental Sciences (CIAMB), Federal University of Goiás-UFG, Campus II, Goiania, GO, 74690-900, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5592-302X
Xuehui PiCollege of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6764-6442
Hongwei FangSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8287-6094
Yan LiuSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3197-9349
Adam D SwitzerEarth Observatory of Singapore and Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4352-7852
Dongfeng LiKey Laboratory for Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0119-5797
Wenhui QiuSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9961-3928
Chunmiao ZhengSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5839-1305
Pan LiuState Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3777-6561
Lian FengState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. lian.feng@whu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4590-3022

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Quantitative analysis of alluvial channel patterns is essential in fluvial science, as their morphology both reflects and influences river behavior through interactions with water and sediment regimes, landscape processes, and human interventions. However, a comprehensive global study to identify predominant channel patterns and their underlying mechanisms remains lacking. Here, we map global alluvial channel patterns using high-resolution satellite observations. Our results reveal a hidden dominance of anabranching channels that surprisingly constitute half (51%) of total reach length globally, exceeding meandering (24%), straight (18%), and braided (7%) channels. In non-mountainous settings, anabranching channels dominate most continents except Oceania. They are not confined to typical alluvial lowland systems, also comprising 50% of alluvial tracts in mountains. While anabranching is typically associated with gentle slopes and expansive floodplains, these conditions are not exclusive determinants. The prevalence of anabranching channels transforms fundamental perspectives on global river systems, posing challenges for the fluvial geomorphology community.

Identifiers

PMID41565655
PMCPMC12929678

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.