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

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.