Anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflats
Abstract Branching networks are key elements in natural landscapes and have attracted sustained research interest across the geosciences and numerous intersecting fields. The prevailing consensus has long held that branching networks are optimized and exhibit fractal properties adhering to power-law...
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Nature Portfolio
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54154-9 |
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| author | Fan Xu Zeng Zhou Sergio Fagherazzi Andrea D’Alpaos Ian Townend Kun Zhao Weiming Xie Leicheng Guo Xianye Wang Zhong Peng Zhicheng Yang Chunpeng Chen Guangcheng Cheng Yuan Xu Qing He |
| author_facet | Fan Xu Zeng Zhou Sergio Fagherazzi Andrea D’Alpaos Ian Townend Kun Zhao Weiming Xie Leicheng Guo Xianye Wang Zhong Peng Zhicheng Yang Chunpeng Chen Guangcheng Cheng Yuan Xu Qing He |
| author_sort | Fan Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Branching networks are key elements in natural landscapes and have attracted sustained research interest across the geosciences and numerous intersecting fields. The prevailing consensus has long held that branching networks are optimized and exhibit fractal properties adhering to power-law scaling relationships. However, tidal networks in coastal wetlands and mudflats exhibit scaling properties that defy conventional power-law descriptions, presenting a longstanding enigma. Here we show that the observed atypical scaling represents a universal deviation from an ideal fractal branching network capable of fully occupying the available space. Using satellite imagery of tidal networks from diverse global locations, we identified an inherent “laziness” in this deviation—where the increased ease of channel formation paradoxically decreases the space-filling efficiency of the network. We developed a theoretical model that reproduces the ideal fractal branching network and the laziness phenomenon. The model suggests that branching networks can emerge under a localized competition principle without adhering to conventionally assumed optimization-driven processes. These results reveal the dual nature of branching networks, where “laziness” complements the well-known optimization process. This property provides more flexible strategies for controlling tidal network morphogenesis, with implications for coastal management, wetland restoration, and studies in fluvial and planetary systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-454db4c7e9bb4df296d3c3bfd01e76d1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-454db4c7e9bb4df296d3c3bfd01e76d12025-08-20T02:49:59ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-11-0115111110.1038/s41467-024-54154-9Anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflatsFan Xu0Zeng Zhou1Sergio Fagherazzi2Andrea D’Alpaos3Ian Townend4Kun Zhao5Weiming Xie6Leicheng Guo7Xianye Wang8Zhong Peng9Zhicheng Yang10Chunpeng Chen11Guangcheng Cheng12Yuan Xu13Qing He14State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal UniversityThe National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Hohai UniversityDepartment of Earth and Environment, Boston UniversityDepartment of Geosciences, University of PadovaSchool of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of SouthamptonThe National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Hohai UniversityState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal UniversityDepartment of Marine Sciences, University of GeorgiaState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal UniversityAbstract Branching networks are key elements in natural landscapes and have attracted sustained research interest across the geosciences and numerous intersecting fields. The prevailing consensus has long held that branching networks are optimized and exhibit fractal properties adhering to power-law scaling relationships. However, tidal networks in coastal wetlands and mudflats exhibit scaling properties that defy conventional power-law descriptions, presenting a longstanding enigma. Here we show that the observed atypical scaling represents a universal deviation from an ideal fractal branching network capable of fully occupying the available space. Using satellite imagery of tidal networks from diverse global locations, we identified an inherent “laziness” in this deviation—where the increased ease of channel formation paradoxically decreases the space-filling efficiency of the network. We developed a theoretical model that reproduces the ideal fractal branching network and the laziness phenomenon. The model suggests that branching networks can emerge under a localized competition principle without adhering to conventionally assumed optimization-driven processes. These results reveal the dual nature of branching networks, where “laziness” complements the well-known optimization process. This property provides more flexible strategies for controlling tidal network morphogenesis, with implications for coastal management, wetland restoration, and studies in fluvial and planetary systems.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54154-9 |
| spellingShingle | Fan Xu Zeng Zhou Sergio Fagherazzi Andrea D’Alpaos Ian Townend Kun Zhao Weiming Xie Leicheng Guo Xianye Wang Zhong Peng Zhicheng Yang Chunpeng Chen Guangcheng Cheng Yuan Xu Qing He Anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflats Nature Communications |
| title | Anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflats |
| title_full | Anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflats |
| title_fullStr | Anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflats |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflats |
| title_short | Anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflats |
| title_sort | anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflats |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54154-9 |
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