Braiding as branching at the channel scale: a direct approach to network scaling

Braided channel networks (BCNs) represent highly dynamic fluvial systems characterized by multiple intertwined channels shaped by complex sediment transport and flow interactions. This study presents a novel framework to analyze the scaling properties of the braiding index , defined as the number of active wet channels along the river reach, by integrating branching process theory as reported by Harris (The Theory of Branching Processes, Dover Publications Inc, New York, 1989) and self-organized criticality concepts (Bak et al. in Phys Rev Lett 59:381–384, 1987 and Bak et al. in Phys. Rev. A 38:364–374, 1988) and as reported by Jensen (Self-Organized Criticality, Cambridge Lecture Notes in Physics, 1998). Unlike previous approaches, our methodology explicitly connects branching and braiding phenomena at the channel scale, capturing their coupled morphodynamics through stochastic modeling and power-law distributions. The proposed approach reveals the self-organizing behavior of BCNs, whereby local bifurcation and reconnection events give rise to scale-invariant spatial aggregation patterns within the channel network. This framework advances the theoretical understanding of fluvial network topology by linking microscope processes of sediment-bar formation and channel splitting to emergent macroscale geometries, providing new insights into the nonlinear and multiscale dynamics of braided rivers.